New Hampshire’s state fish hatcheries have had a productive growing season, and stocking trucks are ready to get rolling this spring, according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Inland Fisheries. New Hampshire hatcheries have close to 1 million catchable-size trout ready for this season.
Early season success should be available at many of New Hampshire’s designated trout ponds, which open April 23, 2016.
Funded by fishing license sales and federal Sport Fish Restoration funds, New Hampshire’s hatchery system includes six facilities across the state.
The Berlin Fish Hatchery provides the three primary trout species to the North Country, including Coos County and the northern reaches of Grafton and Carroll counties. The Twin Mountain and Warren hatcheries provide trout to the White Mountain Region.
Powder Mill Hatchery in New Durham provides trout from the seacoast through the Lakes Region and into Carroll County. Powder Mill Hatchery also provides the Lakes Region with rainbow trout and landlocked salmon for New Hampshire’s large lakes program. April 1 is the opening for salmon season in lakes managed for landlocked salmon.
In the Southwest region, Fish and Game’s Milford Fish Hatchery has gained the reputation of growing “the big ones,” and with good reason. Well water provides favorable growing temperatures for trout year round, giving this hatchery a slight advantage over other facilities during the winter months.
New Hampton Hatchery is responsible for providing trout from central New Hampshire up to the White Mountains. In mid-June, fingerling brook trout raised at New Hampton Hatchery will literally take flight, as they are stocked by helicopter into 47 remote ponds in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
These remote ponds provide a special opportunity for those who wish to get off the beaten path and spend a day hiking and fishing in the White Mountains.
To help fund the remote pond aerial stocking program, the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire has established a dedicated donation account. Those who enjoy this experience and wish to contribute to the remote pond stocking program can donate online at www.nhwildlifefoundation.org; be sure to specify “remote pond stocking fund.”
For more information, visit www.fishnh.com.
source: New Hampshire Fish and Game Department