Fishing

Arizona Game and Fish hatcheries produce almost 3 million trout each year for angling enjoyment

Did you ever wonder where that feisty rainbow trout on the end of your line came from?

Most likely, the trout that brought a smile to your face did not originally come from the stream, river or lake where you caught it: it was stocked from an Arizona Game and Fish Department hatchery at some stage it its life.

Natural trout reproduction in the state is limited, yet angler demand is high. The vast majority of trout caught in Arizona’s public waters originate from state hatcheries. This past year, the state hatchery system stocked almost 3 million trout for anglers to catch.

Most hatcheries have specific areas of the state where they stock, although there is some overlapping. Five of these hatcheries – Page Springs, Canyon Creek, Tonto Creek, Silver Creek and Sterling Spring – feature various trout species. The Bubbling Ponds Hatchery raises warmwater sport-fish species, such as largemouth bass. One small hatchery, Sterling Springs (which is not open to the public because of its small size), specializes in hatching the trout eggs and raising them to fingerling size.

It takes a lot to put that trout on the end of your line. Raising trout is a complex business supported primarily from revenues generated by anglers themselves.

The hatchery fish are raised from eggs, which are imported from other hatcheries or providers in the nation. Last year, Game and Fish imported around 3.5 million trout eggs for its hatchery system.

Most fish are raised to catchable size, which is around 9.5 inches. However, some lakes, such as Big Lake in the White Mountains, have a natural food base and are stocked with smaller fish such as fingerlings (3 inches) or sub-catchables (5 inches). These fish then grow to harvest size in the lake.

Determining where to stock the fish and in what quantities takes a coordinated effort between the hatcheries and the field biologists in the areas to be stocked. The lakes are scientifically surveyed using nets and electro-fishing gear to determine the status of fish populations and trends, such as survivability, harvest and catchability. Using the information gathered, biologists determine their future stocking requests. However, the system is also adaptable to changing conditions, such as not enough rain, or even too much rain.