Our Services

Atlantic Striped Bass:

Striped bass coming out PVC pipe and into a river at boat ramp
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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Striped bass harvest, by weight, was the largest of all recreationally targeted species in the nation. However, in 2019, a new benchmark assessment found the stock to be overfished and experiencing overfishing. Edenton National Fish Hatchery annually contributes hundreds of thousands of juvenile fish to the Neuse and Tar Rivers in North Carolina to help sustain their populations.

Lake Sturgeon:

Although this species not listed as federally endangered, lake sturgeon are listed as a threatened or endangered species in 19 of the 20 states it inhabits. In North Carolina, they are listed as a species of Special Concern. They were believed to be extirpated (completely fished out) from North Carolina in the mid-20th century. As part of a multi-agency restoration effort for the Tennessee River and its tributaries, Edenton National Fish Hatchery and Table Rock State Fish Hatchery began stocking the French Broad River to reintroduce this fish to North Carolina for the first time in roughly 50 years.

Lake sturgeon on gravel bed at Edenton National Fish Hatchery Aquarium
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Cape Fear Shiner:

The federal government and the state of North Carolina classify this species as endangered. These fish are native to Cape Fear River Basin in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Edenton National Fish Hatchery, the Raleigh Endangered Species Office, and the state of North Carolina are working to propagate and release these fish into areas of the Cape Fear River Basin where there numbers are extremely low or where they no longer exist.

a young Cape Fear Shiner in an aquarium
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This is one of the first Cape Fear Shiners produced at Edenton NFH. In cooperation with the NC Wildlife Commission and the USFWS Eastern Carolina Ecological Services, Edenton NFH transported adult Cape Fear shiners to the hatchery, and the adults spawned in captivity. The goal of this program is to boost numbers of Cape Fear shiners while improvements are made to their habitat.



 

Johnny Darter:

At the request of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC), Edenton National Fish Hatchery began a pilot program to raise Johnny Darters.  Johnny Darters are a host fish for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel.  When the mussels are young, they must attach to a fish host to grow and mature. Edenton National Fish Hatchery's goal is to produce enough healthy Johnny darters to serve as hosts to NCWRC and other natural resource partners in support of threatened or endangered mussel restoration programs.

Male Johnny darter (fish) and female Johnny Darter. Small yellow eggs can be seen stuck to the side of a flower pot.
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Trout stocking in tailwater
Fish Stocking

The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at a national fish hatchery. Since 1872 we have been working to improving recreational fishing and restoring aquatic species that are in decline, at risk, and are important to the health of our aquatic systems. Across...

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Fish Stocking