Laserfiche WebLink
Federal Hatcheries <br />The USFWS presently operates two Coldwater fish hatcheries in the state: Leadville NFH <br />and Hotchkiss NFH. Some warmwater fish (mainly catfish) are hauled into the state from federal <br />hatcheries located in the southern part of the United States. <br />Leadville NFH <br />Located in Lake County the facility stocked 186,000 subcatchable and catchable cutthroat <br />trout, 7,000 six-inch lake trout, and 118,000 catchable rainbow trout in state waters in 1995 <br />(Appendix F). During an annual fish health inspection on March 13, 1996, the unit was found <br />positive for WD and Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease <br />(BKD). The outside facility consists of concrete raceways and dirt ponds, with water supplied <br />from surface sources. <br />Hotchkiss NFH <br />Located in Delta County, this WD- the facility stocked 1.3 million subcatchable and <br />catchable rainbow trout in state waters in 1995. From this total, Blue Mesa Reservoir received <br />700,000 subcatchables that average between 4 and 5 inches (Appendix G). <br />Additional Information <br />As a general rule, most of the state hatcheries are operating at maximum production. The <br />coldwater hatcheries can convert production from rainbow trout to any other coldwater species <br />with very little disruption. A word of caution--the closer the fish are to the genetic makeup of <br />their wild counterparts, the harder they are to culture. As a general rule of thumb, catchable <br />production can be traded for subcatchable trout on a 2 or 3 subcatchable for 1 catchable basis. <br />Negative state units could produce Qnly fry and fingerlings. This figure is highly dependent on the <br />individual hatchery. Due to fish health concerns, our warmwater hatcheries should not be relied <br />on to produce coldwater fish; only the Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit has the capability to produce <br />some warm-coolwater fish. Before any hatchery is closed, the water rights issue should be <br />addressed; Appendix H contains a letter on this issue. This report does not address the need for <br />more or fewer employees based on the proposed modifications. As a final word of caution, most <br />of the concepts presented here are based on an educated opinion. If any of the major <br />recommendations are given further consideration, a cost:benefit analysis should be conducted on <br />each project. Another important consideration is that significant changes in fish production such <br />as changes in brood stock and species management can take up to 2 or 3 years to complete. <br />42