Kamas State Fish Hatchery, located three miles
southeast of Kamas, Summit County, Utah, is owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources [Click here to link to
State hatchery contact information].
The Kamas hatchery began fish production in 1930. It was the eighth State
fish hatchery built in
Utah. The hatchery was reconstructed between 1998-2001, as part of the Fish Hatchery Production Plan, to
increase production of cold-water sportfish for Utah’s anglers. The
reconstructed hatchery was dedicated in July 2001.
Kamas Hatchery raises rainbow, brook and cutthroat
trout and grayling. These fish are stocked in high mountain lakes of the
Uintas, the upper Provo River, Strawberry Reservoir and elsewhere. Before
reconstruction, the hatchery’s fish production capacity was 60,000
pounds annually. It is estimated the hatchery produced 92 million fish
since its original construction, providing over 40 million angler
hours. Reconstruction allowed fish production capacity to be increased
to 140,000 pounds annually. Over 1.3 million rainbow, cutthroat and
brook trout and grayling, weighing 131,335 pounds were stocked from the
new Kamas State Fish Hatchery in 2002. In 2003, 134,733 pounds were stocked.
The Central Utah Project and other reclamation
projects created many reservoirs in Utah. These flatwater areas provide
for a variety of water-related recreation opportunities including
fishing. Most reservoir fisheries are heavily used and not able to
sustain themselves through natural recruitment, requiring management
programs dependent on stocking hatchery-reared fish. Fish stocking
demands in Utah for reclamation projects have been met in the past
through both State and Federal hatcheries. CUPCA identifies funding for
planning and implementing improvements to existing hatcheries and/or the
development of new fish hatcheries to increase production of warm-water
and cold-water fish for areas affected by the Colorado River Storage
Project in Utah.
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