Thank you for joining us on our summer long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the National Fish Hatchery System. As part of our celebration, we’ve created a series of road trip blogs that crisscross the country highlighting national fish hatcheries that are more than 100 years old!
For our final Great American Hatchery Road Trip, we’re visiting Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery in Washington.
Founded in 1898, Little White Salmon is the oldest Columbia River hatchery and a pioneer of salmon propagation. The hatchery raises and releases roughly 7.2 million young spring and up-river bright fall Chinook salmon each year. The hatchery mitigates fishery losses due to hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River and provides for an important sport fishery, while also fulfilling Tribal Trust responsibilities. Basically, they’re pretty awesome!
The National Fish Hatchery System has been improving recreational fishing and restoring aquatic species since 1872 (uhhhh, yeah that makes them 150 years old!) and yet, lots of folks might not even know that their grounds are often open to the public and entry is FREE! The wonderful thing about fish hatcheries is that they offer something for everyone in your group…no more disgruntled sighs from the backseat!
