The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex

The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex is an integrated fishery program that includes the Nevada Fishery Resource Office, the Marble Bluff Fish Passage Facility, and the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery. These three stations coordinate and implement recovery activities as well as provide technical assistance to state, tribal and federal agencies. The administrative office for this Complex is the hatchery.

The Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex was authorized in 1956 to mitigate the loss of the Pyramid Lake fishery. Since 1992 it has provided oversight for the recovery of two fish native to our area, the Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) (Onchorynchus clarkii henshawi) and the cui-ui (Chasmistes cujus).

In the Tahoe/Truckee basin the cui-ui (Chasmistes cujus) is currently endangered and the Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) is threatened. These fish played key historical roles in the culture and economy of the region. The cui-ui sucker is found only in the alkaline Pyramid Lake and the lower Truckee River. They were a major food source for local native American tribes throughout the 1800’s and are still important to the culture of several tribes in the region. The largest of the cutthroat family, LCT were known to reach over forty pounds and regularly migrated 114 miles in the Truckee River between Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake.

Native fish of the West have faced significant challenges over the past century. Loss of habitat, commercial harvest, water diversions and the spread of non-native fish have resulted in extinctions and have caused many fish to be listed as endangered or threatened. Under the Endangered Species Act, the Service is working to restore these fish to their native waters.

Integrated Fishery Program

The elements of an integrated fishery program include the following:

Fish community monitoring, including: Abundance and distribution of native and non-native fish

Assessing ecosystem health, including: riverine and riparian habitat assessments, and temperature monitoring

Develop and coordinate research programs with universities that continue to refine our restoration and recovery strategies

Develop instream flow regimes for the Walker and Truckee River basins

Develop and implement river restoration programs

LCT production and tagging

Provide native trout for recreational angling in the Truckee, Tahoe and Walker Basins

National fish passage program coordinator for Nevada

Coordination of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan for Region 8 (CA, NV)

Lead for Western Native Trout Initiative for Region 8

Hatchery outreach events

Check out a few of our outreach activities.