Welcome to Lahontan National Fish Hatchery! We are one of three facilities within the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex. Lahontan National Fish Hatchery maintains a broodstock of a unique strain of Lahontan cutthroat trout, the Pilot Peak strain that represents the original lake form that evolved in ancient Lake Lahontan and is the largest inland cutthroat trout in the world. We play a pivotal role in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's efforts to protect and restore threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout populations in the Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Pyramid and Walker Lake Basins of Nevada and Eastern Sierra's.

Visit Us

Lahontan National Fish Hatchery visitor center is open Monday-Friday from 10:00 am-2:00 pm (except federal holidays). 

Lahontan National Fish Hatchery sign.
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Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      Lahontan National Fish Hatchery is one of three facilities within the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex. The hatchery maintains a broodstock broodstock
      The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).

      Learn more about broodstock       of a unique strain of Lahontan cutthroat trout, the Pilot Peak strain that represents the original lake form that evolved in ancient Lake Lahontan and is the largest inland cutthroat trout in the world. Lahontan National Fish Hatchery also works to fulfill federal tribal trust responsibilities by providing fish to our Tribal partners for recreational fishing and recovery efforts.  

      Since 2006, Lahontan National Fish Hatchery has produced and stocked Pilot Peak strain Lahontan cutthroat trout in support of conservation and recovery in their native waters of Nevada and Eastern Sierra's. The hatchery conserves the genetic legacy of this fast-growing lake form by using rigorous genetic management techniques during spawning of captive broodstock to annually produce approximately 500,000 Pilot Peak strain Lahontan cutthroat trout, which are uniquely adapted to growing large in lake environments (over 25 pounds!). 

      What We Do

      Lahontan National Fish Hatchery produces the Pilot Peak strain Lahontan cutthroat trout for recovery and recreational fishing opportunities in the Pyramid, Tahoe and Walker Lake Basins.  

      A Pilot Peak Lahontan cutthroat trout being held by a biologist just above the water prior to its release into Lake Tahoe.
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      Our Organization

      Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
      The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
      Program
      Falls Church,VA
      150 Years. National Fish Hatchery System.” in front of glossy orange eggs against a white background.
      The National Fish Hatchery System works to support healthy, self-sustaining populations of fish and other aquatic species across the country. Every year we raise and stock over 100 million fish to support the recovery and restoration of imperiled species, recreational fishing, and Tribal...
      Program

      Our Species

      Lahontan National Fish Hatchery raises the Pilot Peak strain Lahontan cutthroat trout. Annually, the hatchery stocks approximately 500,000 Pilot Peak Lahontan cutthroat trout into high priority conservation waters in Nevada and Eastern California.

      The Pilot Peak strain Lahontan cutthroat trout represents the original lake form that evolved in ancient Lake Lahontan and existed in the Truckee, Tahoe, and Walker Lake Basins. Once thought to be extinct, transplanted Lahontan cutthroat trout were found in the Pilot Peak Mountains along the Nevada/Utah border in the late 1970s. Utilizing genetics of museum mounts from 1872 to 1911 of fish known to be from the Truckee River Basin, it was determined that the Lahontan cutthroat trout in the Pilot Mountains were descendants of the original Truckee Basin Lahontan cutthroat trout.