Cronin Aquatic Resource Center
Plan Your Visit
The Cronin Aquatic Resource Center is just one of the many field stations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service whose mission is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Featured Species
Get Involved
Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. Our facility provides many opportunities for you to help your community and fish and wildlife by doing what you love. Cronin Aquatic Resource Center partners with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of both urban and rural communities to make a lasting difference. There are opportunities for everyone to get involved!
Volunteers: Gain new experiences and meet new people while helping to advance fish and aquatic conservation. Friends: Join neighbors in helping Cronin Aquatic Resource Center work effectively in our communities.
Local Groups: Find out how communities can work with Cronin Aquatic Resource Center to conserve our shared natural resources.
Youth: Explore paid and unpaid opportunities to learn and develop leadership skills.
Services
In August 2016, the Cronin Aquatic Resource Center was reopened after closing its doors in 2014. The hatchery has been renovated into a research facility that is focused on augmenting endangered freshwater mussel species, as well as floodplain conservation and climate change work. The Richard Cronin Aquatic Resource Center works in collaboration with universities, the United States Geological Survey, state and federal partners to enhance restoration efforts taking place throughout the Connecticut River watershed and other regions in the Northeast.
About
The Cronin Aquatic Resource Center is part of the National Fish Hatchery System and serves as a hub for conservation, discovery, and education. After decades as a trout and then Atlantic salmon hatchery, it was repurposed in 2016 to focus on restoring freshwater mussels and their habitats. The center emphasizes collaborative research with academic and federal partners to protect aquatic resources for future generations.