Welaka National Fish Hatchery

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Observation tower at the Beecher Unit Welaka Nat Fish Hatchery obs tower01.jpg
Observation tower at the Beecher Unit

The Welaka National Fish Hatchery, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a warmwater hatchery. The only national fish hatchery in Florida, it has two units, both of which are near the town of Welaka. [1]

Florida State of the United States of America

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

Welaka, Florida Town in Florida, United States

Welaka is a town situated on the St. Johns River in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 586 as of the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the town had a population of 604. The town is part of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

The state of Florida built the hatchery in 1926, running it for over a decade. The facilities were turned over to the U.S. government in 1938, who have been in charge since then. [1]

The hatchery

The headquarters for the hatchery is called the Welaka Unit. A nearby aquarium is operated by the Unit, with samples of fish that the hatchery raises. [1]

Approximately three miles to the south is the Beecher Unit, named after the spring that provides water for the fish ponds there. It has an observation tower with interpretive information, as well as a small picnic area and nature trail. [1]

View of the Beecher Unit from the observation tower Welaka Nat Fish Hatchery pano01.jpg
View of the Beecher Unit from the observation tower

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References

Coordinates: 29°26′30″N81°39′00″W / 29.44154°N 81.64994°W / 29.44154; -81.64994

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.