WHY THE TROUT HATCHERY 



■eking is an important part of fishery 



management. Hatchery trout are used to 



vplement natural production. These hatch- 



eiy trout fill three principal needs under 



contemporary management practices. 



1. A species of trout may be stocked in 

 suitable waters in which it is not present. 

 Such waters include new reservoirs, and 

 waters that have been made more suitable for 

 trout by the removal of unwanted fishes. 

 Other waters not completely barren of fish 

 life may be stocked with one or more trout 

 species to increase the total productivity and 

 contribute to the fisherman's harvest. Fin- 

 gerling trout planted in such environments 

 may quickly grow to catchable size, since an 

 abundance of food is usually available, and, if 

 spawning facilities are adequate, will repro- 

 duce to maintain their population. 



2. Trout are stocked in waters that provide 

 conditions suitable for growth but lack facili- 

 ties for adequate reproduction. Many cold- 

 water lakes and ponds are in this category 

 and through proper stocking can provide ex- 

 cellent fishing. Relatively inexpensive finger- 

 ling trout are planted in such waters. Survival 

 is high and they rapidly reach catchable size. 

 Recurrent plants at intervals of from 1 to 3 

 years may be needed to maintain populations 

 at the proper level. 



3. Trout are stocked in waters that lack 

 the productive capacity to meet the local 

 fishing pressure. This is sometimes called 

 put-and-take stocking. Fish of catchable size 

 are planted at frequent intervals and at scat- 

 tered locations. It is not expected that they 

 will grow materially or that many will sur- 

 vive over winter. Most of them are caught 

 during the season in which they are planted. 

 This is the only way successful trout fishing 

 can be provided in areas where the demand 

 for fish exceeds the productive capacity of 

 the waters. 



Neither State nor Federal hatcheries pro- 

 duce enough trout to meet current demands, 

 so fish are allocated to those areas where the 

 greatest public benefit is anticipated. 



It is the policy of the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service to allocate or distribute trout from 

 its fish hatcheries in the following order of 

 precedence : 



1. Primary obligation will be in the stock- 

 ing of waters on Federal areas, including 

 lakes, streams, and ponds, that are open to 

 public fishing. 



2. Secondary obligation will be in the 

 stocking of State waters, including lakes, 

 streams, and ponds, that are open to public 

 fishing. 



3. After apportioning the hatchery output 

 to meet the above obligations, any remaining 

 fish may be used to fill applications for pri- 

 vate waters, in which the fish and fishing are 

 not commercialized in any way. 



So far as possible, the stocking of fish from 

 Federal hatcheries into waters in these cate- 

 gories will be undertaken only after the 

 recommendations of Service and/or State 

 fishery-management biologists have been 

 received on the suitability of water, and the 

 species, size, and number of fish to be stocked. 



Fishing is a national recreation. About 1 

 out of every 9 persons in the United States 

 has a fishing license. And there are many 

 more — children and others — who don't need 

 licenses to fish in public waters. 



Visitors are welcome at all hatcheries of 

 the Fish and Wildlife Service during any day 

 of the week. Employees in attendance will 

 be pleased to answer questions. 



