Hotchkiss
Plan Your Visit
Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery provides many exciting visitor opportunities and supports local communities. Visit us for a close-up view of the fish production process. With over 7,500 visitors annually, the friendly dedicated staff will normally be available to answer any questions while you explore the Visitor Center and raceways.
The hatchery operates with support from partners, including Colorado Parks and Wildlife, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, other federal agencies, and the National Fish Hatchery System. These many dedicated partners and volunteers help Hotchkiss bring recreational angling opportunities and healthy aquatic ecosystems to you, your family, and future generations.
The hatchery also participates in local public fishing festivities in June, as one of the exhibitors at the Delta, Colorado, “Outdoor Heritage Days” and provides fish for the kids fishing derby there. Families and friends are invited to join the hatchery staff, volunteers, and sponsors for this fun-filled fishing event. In addition, many local businesses, civic groups, and citizens participate in this community event.
Activities
Visitors also have a bounty of nearby recreational opportunities along the North Fork of the Gunnison River. Relax and enjoy your lunch under one of the five covered picnic areas on the hatchery grounds or test your wildlife knowledge while viewing the surrounding canyon areas using the Watchable Wildlife viewing area. So be sure to bring your binoculars for the wildlife viewing, such as juncos, hawks, eagles, waterfowl, elk, deer, raccoons, and fox.
Activities
Featured Species
Get Involved
Educational programs/tours are provided for the public and school groups during business hours when scheduled in advance. A short, wheelchair-accessible, self-guided tour is available at the hatchery as well.
Services
Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery produces about 600,000 trout every year and distributes them to reservoirs in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico to restore and protect fish populations within the Colorado River basin.
The hatchery also partners with other agencies and organizations to bring outreach to the community. These efforts include Heritage Days in Delta, Co., Conservation Days in Paonia, Co., fishing and archery lessons at Sweitzer Lake State Park, Trout in the Classroom with Trout Unlimited, and many more as opportunities arise.
About
Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery is located about 20 miles east of Delta, CO and was established in 1967 as part of the Colorado River Storage Project Act. The hatchery's cold, clean water supply comes from the adjacent Tommy Dowell Spring and serves 24 inside nursery tanks, 40 concrete raceways, and 2 earthen ponds. A small crew of five employees manages all aquaculture duties, grounds maintenance, and public outreach. The facility is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Hatchery System, which works to restore native aquatic populations and mitigate fisheries loss.