Posted Thursday, July 8, 2004

Busy summer at Mantua Fish Hatchery

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of articles about Utah's state fish hatcheries.
— Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Mantua — Personnel at the Mantua State Fish Hatchery will be busy this summer, stocking fish in waters from Honeyville to Farmington.

Located five miles northeast of Brigham City, the Mantua hatchery is nestled at the source of Maple Creek, in the southeast part of an area known as "Little Valley."

History

The hatchery was purchased in 1970 and rebuilt to provide a culture facility for eggs and fish for the Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout Enhancement Project at Bear Lake. That project has been a success, and Bear Lake cutthroat trout are now being utilized in other waters to biologically limit undesirable fish species and enhance native species.

Additional programs have been added at the hatchery through the years to help meet the fish stocking quotas of Division of Wildlife Resources aquatic managers. The hatchery currently raises and stocks 98,000 10-inch and 33,000 three-inch rainbow and albino rainbow trout for urban fisheries and northern Utah lakes and streams; 112,000 three-inch, 152,000 five-inch and 20,000 seven-inch cutthroat trout for higher elevation lakes and reservoirs; and 200,000 three-inch kokanee salmon for Strawberry Reservoir.

The hatchery is staffed by three full-time employees who have an average of 26 years experience.

Plenty to do

Besides preparing for the stocking season this year, the crew at Mantua was busy from mid-March through mid-June, collecting eggs from two different year classes of adult brood fish kept at the hatchery. Approximately 6 million green eggs were taken from these fish. As they reach the eyed stage in their development, they will be shipped to other Utah hatcheries for hatching and rearing.

The Mantua hatchery crew also collects eggs for culture from cutthroat trout at Bear Lake and Little Dell Reservoir during the spring spawning runs.

Tours by appointment only

A quality, disease-free water supply is vital to a successful fish hatchery. Maple Spring, adjacent to the hatchery, flows between five to 10 second feet-of-water at 46 degree Fahrenheit. This water is ideal for cutthroat trout egg and fish culture, but at this temperature the growth rate for fish is slow (about one-half inch per month).

Because of the possibility of spreading whirling disease and other diseases into the facility, the hatchery is open to the public by advanced appointment only.

Many school groups, families and individuals have enjoyed touring the hatchery and learning about the role it plays in enhancing the environment. For information and appointments call (435) 723-6579.