What We Do

The North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery works to restore American shad. Our hatchery also provides hatchery-raised brook trout to state partners to support local recreational fishing opportunities.  

Management and Conservation

The next time you go fishing, you might just catch a fish that was raised at our hatchery!  North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery produces brook trout and American shad. The fish are stocked annually in reservoirs, lakes, and rivers across Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

Our Services

We raise three year classes of eastern brook trout, from the Sandwich strain of brook trout, and distribute these trout to the state of Massachusetts for recreational fishing programs. We also raise these brook trout for the National Broodstock Program to ensure brook trout are readily available for valued recreational fishing programs.

Small orange fish eggs on a white background.

The National Broodstock Program was established in 1970 to support healthy sustainable fisheries in waterways across the country. Every year the National Broodstock Program provides about 60 million fish eggs that are hatched and raised by our partners to meet their conservation and management...

Our Projects and Research

Learn more about how we are helping to restore and sustain important fish and other aquatic species for the benefit of the American people.

American shad propagation began in 2006 at the hatchery and in 2008, produced its first volitional spawned Shad for the Charles River in Boston. In 2010, Shad production began for the Pawcatuck River. The Pawtuxet River was added to the propagation efforts in 2012. In 2022, the hatchery began producing larval American Shad for the Taunton River.