Genoa National Fish Hatchery
Better Know a Hatchery February 2012
What is the name of your facility, how did it get that name, and how long has it been in operation? Genoa National Fish Hatchery, located in Genoa, WI, has been producing fish since 1932. It was built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. What fish do you raise and approximately how many? In 2011 we raised 13 species of cold, cool, and warm water fishes and 14 species of freshwater mussels. We produced over 10 million fish and mussels for restoration, recovery of threatened and endangered species, tribal, state, and federal agreements, research, recreation, and education. What are the fish you raise used for? Originally, the hatchery was created to produce sport and panfish for area waters. We are still raising walleye, rainbow trout, large- and smallmouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, and yellow perch for sport and recreation. Our main focus these days is on threatened and endangered species recovery and restoring depleted populations of fish. Some of our largest programs are: restoring threatened lake sturgeon to the Red River, Mississippi River, and Wolf River watersheds; recovery of the endangered winged mapleleaf mussel and Higgin’s eye pearly mussel; and restoration of threatened populations of coaster brook trout to Lake Superior. We also raise some additional aquatic species such as golden shiner, logperch, and mudpuppy salamanders to use as in house mussel hosts. We also raise fathead minnows as a forage species for larger fish. How big is your facility? The hatchery is located on 155 acres, with 67 acres of outdoor rearing ponds and 7 indoor culture buildings.
Genoa National Fish Hatchery
Better Know a Hatchery
What is the biggest challenge facing your facility today? What challenges do you foresee in the future? Maintaining biosecurity is always a challenge at a station that raises many species coming from many sources. Our walleye, sauger, and northern pike eggs still come from wild stock in the Mississippi River. Lake sturgeon are spawned in the wild from three different watersheds, and all of our freshwater mussel adults are collected from specific locations in different rivers. To help manage these risks, we have a biosecurity plan with very strict protocols and procedures in place to minimize hatchery exposure to fish pathogens or non-target species. Our fish undergo health inspections biannually to ensure that they are pathogen-free before stocking or transfer. Any recent successes or news you can share? We just updated our isolation facility to include disinfection of effluent water from isolated wild fish species. This will eliminate wild fish pathogens from water entering our culture ponds. Each year we hatch wild spawned brook trout or lake trout and raise these fish in isolation for 18 months. Once these wild fish are certified disease-free they can be transferred to one of our National Broodstock Facilities. With the emergence of VHS, a disease that can affect a variety of fish species, the facility had to be updated because of the potential risk to our other cultured species.
Genoa National Fish Hatchery
Better Know a Hatchery
Any interesting trivia/facts about your facility you wish to share? The hatchery is located in the Bad Axe River Valley right alongside the upper Mississippi River. We see tundra swans flying overhead in the fall, otter and mink in the winter, and mating pairs of sandhill cranes in in the spring. It’s a beautiful place to work. In one sentence, why is fish culture important? Cultured threatened and endangered species are like a safe deposit box of genetics for research and future restoration efforts. Fish culture can provide lots of healthy food for lots of people. How can people reach you? Address: S5631 State Highway 35 Phone: 608-689-2605 Email:
[email protected] Website: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Genoa/ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/GenoaNFH -For more great pictures from Genoa visit their website or Facebook page or the Fish Culture Section Facebook page-
