| Pueblo Hatchery | |
|---|---|
  Location in Colorado  Location in United States | |
| General information | |
| Address | 500 Pueblo Reservoir Road |
| Town or city | Pueblo, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 38°09′17″N104°25′57″W / 38.15481°N 104.43247°W |
The Pueblo Hatchery is the only Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold and warm water fish production facility located in Lake Pueblo State Park near Arkansas River in Pueblo County. [1]
Pueblo Hatchery was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, but Colorado Parks and Wildlife is responsible for maintenance and operation. [2]
Hatchery staff works to support the raising of fry, fingerlings, and catchables of rainbow trout. The hatchery raises crappie, bluegills, largemouth bass, brown trout, saugeye, wiper and walleye. Their source of water comes from surface water. [3]
The rainbow trout is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coastal rainbow trout(O. m. irideus) or Columbia River redband trout (O. m. gairdneri) that usually returns to freshwater to spawn after living two to three years in the ocean. Freshwater forms that have been introduced into the Great Lakes and migrate into tributaries to spawn are also called steelhead.
Fish stocking is the practice of releasing fish that are artificially raised in a hatchery into a natural body of water, in order to supplement existing wild populations or to create a new population where previously none exists. Stocking may be done for the benefit of commercial, recreational or tribal heritage fishing, but may also be done for ecological conservation to restore or increase the population of threatened/endangered fish species that is pressured by prior overfishing, habitat destruction and/or competition from invasive species.
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia. While formerly known as the cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources, it is now part of the West Virginia Department of Commerce. The WVDNR is responsible for wildlife management, hunting and fishing regulations, and boater safety and also oversees state parks and resorts. It also operates the West Virginia State Wildlife Center, a zoo in French Creek that exhibits West Virginian wildlife.
Willow Beach is located on the Arizona side of the Colorado River between Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Both lakes are part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area administered by the U.S. National Park Service.
Lake Pueblo State Park is a state park located in Pueblo County, Colorado. It includes 60 miles (97 km) of shoreline and 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land. Activities it offers include two full-service marinas, recreational fishing, hiking, camping and swimming at a special swim beach.
The Bellvue-Watson Fish Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located near Cache la Poudre River and Watson Lake State Wildlife Area in Larimer County, Colorado. Hatchery staff works to support the raising of approximately 1.5 million sub-catchable trout annually. The Watson Lake Rearing Unit, a division within the hatchery, is responsible for rearing approximately 300,000 catchable trout each year. The hatchery stocks fishing sports in Wellington, Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Jumbo Reservoir near Julesburg and Hale ponds.
The Chalk Cliffs Rearing Unit is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located near Arkansas River and Chalk Creek in Chaffee County, Colorado. Hatchery staff works to support the raising of approximately 700,000 catchable, ten-inch rainbow trout annually. The hatchery stocks fish along the Front Range from Loveland to the New Mexico border, and east almost to the Kansas border.
The Crystal River Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold-water fish production facility located along the Crystal River in Garfield County, Colorado, near Carbondale. The hatchery raises rainbow trout and Snake River cutthroat trout brood fish. The millions of eggs from these brood fish are shipped to other hatcheries to be raised for stocking.
The Durango Fish Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located near the Animas River in Durango, Colorado. The hatchery staff raise rainbow, brown, Snake River and native cutthroat trout, and kokanee salmon.
The Finger Rock Rearing Unit is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located near Bear River in Routt County at the base of Flat Tops Wilderness Area.
The Glenwood Springs Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located on Mitchell Creek near the Colorado River in Garfield County, which is 2 miles north of West Glenwood Springs.
The John W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located near Playa Blanca State Wildlife Area and the Rio Grande in Alamosa County.
The Mt. Shavano Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish hatchery located near Arkansas River headwaters at the base of Big Baldy Mountain in Chaffee County. This facility is considered one of the largest trout units in the state.
The Pitkin Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located in Gunnison National Forest right off of Quartz Creek Valley in Gunnison County.
The Poudre Rearing Unit is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located near Cache la Poudre River at the base of South Bald Mountain in Larimer County. It is considered one of the smaller units in Colorado.
The Rifle Falls Fish Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located off East Rifle Creek near Rifle Falls State Park in Garfield County.
The Roaring Judy Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located on East River at the base of Flat Top mountain in Gunnison County. It is home to the largest known kokanee salmon run in the United States.
The Wray Fish Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife warm and cold water fish production facility located near Chief Creek and Stalker Lake in Yuma County.
Fishing in Colorado has brought in a large amount of revenue for the state. In 2019 Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimated outdoor recreation contributed roughly 62 billion dollars to the state economy. Fishing was reported to be the 5th most popular outdoor activity and 110, 511 fishing and hunting combination licenses were sold. Ice fishing makes up part of this total fishing revenue and is a common annual sport for Colorado residents and out-of-state visitors. There is no legal definition of ice fishing season. Rather, people begin to ice fish once the lakes freeze over with thick enough ice. Colorado Parks and Wildlife also recommend that people always ice-fish with another person. Typically, this starts in December and ends in April for Colorado. Lakes size, depth, elevation, and seasonal weather can cause variance to the season. Once the lakes freeze over with thick enough ice, anglers go out onto the ice, drill holes through the ice, and fish for a variety of species.