White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery

Opened in 1900, with its first year of fish production in 1902, the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery is one of the oldest in the country while managing one of only three rainbow trout broodstock programs. It’s quite an operation, raising 6,000 trout pairs to ship about six and eight million eggs annually. They send this delicate cargo by FedEx as far away as Arizona, but most are earmarked for the Appalachian corridor.

What does it take to keep these fish happy? About 40,000 pounds of fish food annually. And between one and three million gallons of fresh spring water (supplemented by a well in summer) daily! The temperature is a chilly 48 to 54 degrees—just the way trout like it.

What happens to the retired brood stock? West Virginia receives them at the ripe old age of two and three for its trout stocking program in rivers, creeks and lakes across the state.

If you want a behind-the-scenes tour of the operation, give them a call. It’s all hands on deck much of the year, but the hatchery team loves to share what it takes to stock our country’s waterways with rainbow trout. They’re also working to restore our freshwater mussel population and have taken on two species of crayfish and the endangered Candy Darter under their wing.

The hatchery is open for tours spring through fall, Monday-Friday, 8am to 3pm.