USFWS National Fish Hatchery System

Since 1871, the National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) has been a cornerstone of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) mission of working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The NFHS was established to conserve fishery resources for future generations of Americans, and has evolved to become a major network of hatcheries, laboratories, and research centers addressing a wide variety of species propagation programs and needs. The present network of National Fish Hatcheries, Fish Technology Centers, and Fish Health Centers achieve the goals of science-based fish and aquatic conservation. Today, the NFHS functions as a network of aquatic resource conservation centers within which fish propagation is just one among many other benefits including species recovery and restoration, meeting federal mitigation responsibilities, and in fulfilling trust obligations to the sovereign tribes. The NFHS also provides aquatic refugia, centers for basic and applied research, opportunities for aquatic education, and places of interest for visitors. less ↑