About Us

The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at our hatchery!  Atlantic and landlocked salmon, American shad, and round whitefish raised here are stocked annually in reservoirs, lakes, rivers and coastal streams across New England. We also produce several hundred brook trout annually for donation to local fishing derbies, outreach, and educational events.  

Our History

The site of the hatchery was purchased on January 23, 1898. The station produced rainbow, brook, and brown trout for stocking state and federally managed waters within New England, and trout and salmon eggs for distribution throughout the United States.

Photo of Nashua NFH from an 1899 report prior to raceway construction
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Photo of Nashua NFH from an 1899 report

In 1978, production shifted to Atlantic salmon for use in the Merrimack River Restoration Program. The hatchery was a domestic and sea run salmon broodstock broodstock
The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).

Learn more about broodstock facility, producing four million eggs annually for restoration programs in the Merrimack River Basin in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the Pawcatuck and Wood Rivers in Rhode Island, and New Hampshire Coastal Rivers. The hatchery also assisted in the Adopt-A-Salmon Family Program. A watershed educational program established in schools in central New England, which evolved into a popular vehicle for students, teachers, parents, and community volunteers to be involved in maintaining the ecological health of their watersheds. In 2013, salmon restoration efforts were scaled back and the hatchery shifted focus to include other species in New England watersheds. 

Today, efforts are focused on restoring endangered Atlantic salmon populations in Maine, American shad populations throughout New England, landlocked salmon populations for recreational fishing opportunities in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, Sandwich strain brook trout for outreach and educational programming around New Hampshire, and threatened round whitefish populations in the Upper Connecticut River and associated lakes.

Photos

The hatchery has gone through many changes since it was initially built but what hasn't changed is our devotion to restoring fish to the rivers of New England for all to enjoy. Check out a few of the photos of the changes at the hatchery below.

Nashua NFH hatchery circa1928
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Nashua NFH hatchery building circa 1928
Early stocking truck
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Nashua NFH old two story hatchery building and uncovered raceways
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Nashua NFH old two story hatchery building and uncovered raceways
Nashua NFH old entrance sign
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Nashua NFH entrance sign has changed little over the years
Biologist counting fish in the tank room at Nashua NFH
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Biologist counting fish in the tank room
Nashua NFH overview
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Nashua NFH overview
Blue raceway covers at Nashua NFH
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The first covers for the raceway structures at Nashua were blue. Since then, white covers have been installed to allow natural light inside.

Other Facilities in this Complex

The Nashua National Fish Hatchery is co-located with the Central New England Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in Nashua, New Hampshire.

We also belong to a broader complex of FWS facilities known as the Maine-New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife Complex. The complex is comprised of 7 offices, including three national fish hatcheries. Collectively, we conserve the unique fish and wildlife of Maine and New Hampshire such as wood ducks, eagles, plovers, songbirds, cougar, lynx, brook trout, salmon and alewife.

Brook trout
Central New England Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
The Central New England Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (FWCO) was established to plan, conduct and evaluate fish and wildlife management activities and aquatic resource restoration initiatives in cooperation with state, federal and non-government organizations. 
Conservation Office
Nashua,NH
Maine stream
Maine Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
The Maine Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office strives to restore fish habitat throughout our rivers in Maine, for freshwater and sea-run migratory fishes, through collaboration with local, state and tribal partners.
Conservation Office
East Orland,ME
Thousands of vibrant orange Atlantic salmon eggs show small black eyes
Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery
Craig Brook NFH currently functions as a conservation hatchery for the last remaining natural populations of Atlantic salmon in the United States for seven river specific brood stocks.
National Fish Hatchery
East Orland,ME
Stocking Atlantic salmon smolts
Green Lake National Fish Hatchery
Green lake National Fish Hatchery works with partners for the conservation and recovery of Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment. We culture Atlantic salmon in an effort to prevent its extinction and preserve the genetic diversity of the populations.
National Fish Hatchery
Ellsworth,ME
Piping plover on sandy beach
Maine Ecological Services Field Office
Welcome to the Maine Field Office Website. Our goal here is to provide you with information about what your U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Maine Ecological Services Office is doing for you and for the fish and wildlife in our area of responsibility, the State of Maine.
Conservation Office
East Orland,ME
New England tidal marsh on a sunny day along the coast
Gulf of Maine Coastal Program
Welcome to the main web page of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Gulf of Maine Coastal Program. We work with public and private partners to conserve and restore important habitat for fish and wildlife resources in the Gulf of Maine Watershed.
Conservation Office
Falmouth,ME