DWR completes new facility at Mantua Fish Hatchery to increase, improve egg production

Salt Lake City — The Mantua Fish Hatchery recently completed construction on a new facility that will improve efficiency and increase production of the trout egg supply for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources fish hatcheries that stock fish across Utah.

The Mantua Fish Hatchery was first constructed in 1910 by the Maple Creek Trout and Resort for fish production in Utah. The DWR purchased the hatchery in 1970, and in 1975, they built a recirculating aquaculture system to raise native Bear Lake cutthroat trout.

However, due to the cold water temperatures in the area, the hatchery was better suited for trout egg production, rather than raising and growing fish. So in 2014, some updates were made to focus the hatchery on egg production. But a decade later, additional updates were needed, due to failing equipment and other outdated facilities.

"Because parts of the hatchery were more than 50 years old, we needed an updated facility with new equipment to help streamline the process of egg production at this specialty hatchery," DWR Mantua Fish Hatchery Manager Jared Smith said. "The Mantua Fish Hatchery produces roughly 6 million trout eggs a year, roughly 30% of the total trout stocked in Utah. So in 2022, we began construction on a new building to increase efficiency of the hatchery."

The new facility at the hatchery includes:

• Barriers to prevent aquatic invasive species concerns
• A degassing tower (to remove high concentrations of gases from the groundwater used at the hatchery)
• New egg facilities
• A new disinfection station for equipment
• A new truck filling station to stock the brood stock fish

"The majority of the eggs are for Bear Lake cutthroat trout and rainbow trout," Smith said. "The eggs and milt (fish sperm) are extracted from a few full-size fish at the hatchery — known as brood stock fish — and then combined into a fertilized egg. Those eggs are then kept at the facility for roughly four weeks before they are transported to another DWR hatchery, where they are raised to full size and then stocked into a river or lake across Utah. We transport eggs rather than full-grown fish to other hatcheries because eggs are a much lower risk for disease."

In September 2024, construction finished on the hatchery's new egg facility, the final pieces of equipment were installed and the facility began producing trout eggs.

"Stocking fish replenishes fish populations in popular recreational areas and improves the quality of life for our residents," DWR Fish Culture Coordinator Roger Mellenthin said. "Hatcheries and fish production also preserve our native fish species, like the Bear Lake cutthroat trout. This new egg facility will greatly contribute to trout production in Utah."