Lahontan National Fish Hatchery

Background

The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery (NFH) was authorized as part of the Washoe Project in 1956 to re-establish the fisheries in Pyramid Lake, and began producing fish in 1967. The hatchery serves as part of the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex (LNFH Complex) which includes the Nevada Fisheries Resource Office and the Marble Bluff Fish Passage Facility, a facility also constructed under the Washoe Project Act. The Lahontan NFH produces Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) in support of the restoration and reintroduction programs the LNFH Complex is responsible for in the Tahoe, Walker, and Truckee Basins. The hatchery houses a captive broodstock of a unique strain of LCT numbering 9,000, and produces about 700,000 LCT per year. The hatchery provides all age classes from eggs to 10-inch "catchables" in support of Lahontan NFH Complex fishery management activities. Currently the hatchery produces fish for Pyramid Lake, Walker Lake, the Truckee River, Fallen Leaf Lake , June Lake and Gull Lake.

The hatchery's Lahontan cutthroat trout

In the past century, several distinct lake populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) have either gone extinct or have been extirpated from their native range. One of these was the strain that originally inhabited Pyramid Lake, Nevada . This strain, which was known for its large size, was gone from the lake by 1939. In the 1970's, LCT were discovered in a small stream on Pilot Peak in Utah, outside of their native range. It is not known who transferred these fish to the stream or when. Genetic comparisons have since revealed the Pilot Peak strain of LCT from Utah are descendants of the original population of LCT in the Truckee Basin, and thus are descendants of the original Pyramid Lake strain.

Over a ten year period of research and experimentation, the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery developed a captive broodstock of LCT from wild fish collected on Pilot Peak . Throughout this process genetic diversity was carefully preserved and continues to be tracked during annual spawning activities. The resulting Pilot Peak strain, which grows 0.6 inches per month at the hatchery, is now in full production at the hatchery. This strain of LCT is central to the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex recovery and recreational angling programs.

How fish are spawned at the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery

Click here to download a powerpoint slide show describing the hatchery's LCT spawning process. You can download a powerpoint viewer here.

Hatchery outreach events

Check out a few of our outreach activities.

Visit the hatchery

The hatchery is open to visitation every day of the year between 8 AM and 3 PM. We are located at 710 Highway 395 in Gardnerville , Nevada . We ask those wanting full tours to schedule a couple of weeks in advance. To schedule a tour, please call (775) 265-2425.