Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery

We toured the fish hatchery by the Garrison Dam.  It is one of the largest in the country.  The hatchery supplies fish for stocking lakes throughout the Midwest.  One tank had Pallid Sturgeon in it that were at least 6 feet long.  They were big enough to put a saddle on and ride.  They are native to the Missouri River and are endangered.  The hatchery captures wild sturgeon in the fall and spring.  The fish in these tanks are held until June when its time for them to spawn.  The young they produce are held for a year and then stocked back into the wild.

There were a whole bunch of cement tanks that were filled with baby trout.  There are automatic feeders hanging over them -- as shown in the picture.  A small trout was caught on the wire that is part of the feeder and Jim is trying to unhook it and save it.  Jim was afraid of hurting the fish so he gave up trying.  Just then one of the US Fish and Wildlife employees came through and he was able to unhook the fish.  He said it happens every once in a while.  When the fish tap on the wire it releases the food into the water and sometimes the fish get too excited trying to get the food and get stuck on the wire.