We have raised landlocked Atlantic salmon for the Lake Champlain Restoration Program since 1980. The species was extirpated from Lake Champlain around the turn of the century due to the construction of dams which cut off fish from their spawning grounds; siltation and pollution from agriculture and urban growth also played a role in degrading available spawning habitat which further limited the salmon's ability to reproduce. Now, there is a thriving fishery in the lake because of our stocking and habitat restoration efforts.

Programs

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.

Facilities

A row of white buildings amidst a mountainous forest setting
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National Fish Hatchery is a 35-acre U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Congress authorized our hatchery in 1906 and in 1909 it was constructed to produce brook trout, char and Atlantic salmon for stocking the waters of Vermont, New...