A look inside...



Many people think of trout in terms of going from the water to the frying pan but it all actually starts in reverse, from fertilized trout eggs in a pan to hatching and eventually going to the water where they can be caught.

Take a look inside the Manchester Fish Hatchery and the trout spawning process.

Iowa's Fish Hatcheries

More than 130 million fish are stocked annually into Iowa waters, raised in cold water fish hatcheries, cool and warm water hatcheries and egg-taking stations. Fish raised and stocked from hatcheries include trout, channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, muskellunge, northern pike, saugeye, walleye and more.

 

Fairport Fish Hatchery
3390 Hwy 22, Muscatine, IA 52761, 563-263-5062
Andy Fowler; Adam Thiese; Melanie Harkness

The Fairport Fish Hatchery is a warm-water extensive culture station located on the Mississippi River along Iowa Highway 22, eight miles east of Muscatine in Muscatine county.

Twenty ponds and nearly 18 acres of water are used to hatch and raise warm-water angling favorites like walleye and bluegill. Adult walleye are captured each year from various areas of the Mississippi River for spawning activities and quickly released after eggs and milt are collected. Adult bluegill are held year-round at the facility and stocked directly into ponds to spawn. Fingerlings are raised in the ponds until they are roughly 1 to 2 inches long and then stocked in Iowa's interior rivers, lakes, and ponds.

The Fairport Fish Hatchery was originally established in 1908 with construction culminating in a grand opening in 1914 attended by over 5,000 people. The Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery have brought the history of the hatchery to life with stories found within two historic interpretative trails.