What We Do
The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at Norfork NFH. Since 1871, National Fish Hatcheries have been responding to conservation challenges affecting America’s fish and other aquatic species. Producing fish continues to be an irreplaceable tool in managing or restoring fisheries along with habitat conservation. In doing so, we help provide recreation opportunities to America’s 34 million anglers who spend $36 billion annually in pursuit of their favored pastime.
Norfork NFH produces 500,000lbs of rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and brown trout annually. The fish are stocked annually in rivers across the Southeastern Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service).
In addition to raising trout, this hatchery also works in a nationwide effort in preserving threatened and endangered mussels. An estimated 70% of North America’s freshwater mussel species are extinct or endangered.
Management and Conservation
The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at Norfork NFH. Since 1871, National Fish Hatcheries have been responding to conservation challenges affecting America’s fish and other aquatic species. Producing fish continues to be an irreplaceable tool in managing or restoring fisheries along with habitat conservation. In doing so, we help provide recreation opportunities to America’s 34 million anglers who spend $36 billion annually in pursuit of their favored pastime.
Norfork NFH produces 500,000lbs of rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and brown trout annually. The fish are stocked annually in rivers across the Southeastern Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service).
In addition to raising trout, this hatchery also works in a nationwide effort in preserving threatened and endangered mussels. An estimated 70% of North America’s freshwater mussel species are extinct or endangered.
Our Services
Norfork National Fish Hatchery was established to raise trout for restocking areas impacted by construction of dams, primarily in the tailwaters of Norfork and Bull Shoals. The hatchery is responsible for raising three kinds of trout: Rainbow, Brown, and Cutthroat. The hatchery receives fertilized eggs from other hatcheries in special shipping containers. When the eggs arrive at Norfork they are placed into large hatching jars. The eggs will begin to hatch in approximately two weeks after they are placed into the hatching jars.
After the eggs hatch they are placed in aluminum troughs or tanks, where they will stay until they are about 2-3 inches long (about 3-4 months old). after the fish reach this size they are placed in the raceways outside where they continue to grow until they are large enough to stock. This happens when they reach 11 inches in length (about 22 months). When the fish are small they are fed 5-6 times a day and they will be fed only about three times a day just before being harvested and stocked. hatchery fish are raised, harvested and stocked year-round.
Our Projects and Research
One of the projects we are working on at the moment are mussel propagation for the Snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra) and Rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica). These mussels became listed do to over harvesting and poor water quality. Now that habitats have been reestablished and they are no longer being harvested increasing their population is the main focus. To accomplish this, facilities like Norfork NFH have been propagating them in controlled and protected environments until they are out of their more vulnerable juvenile stages.