Ennis National Fish Hatchery;

USFWS

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

Ennis National Fish Hatchery,

Montana

Restoring America’s Fisheries

“The mission of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service is working with others

to conserve, protect and enhance fish,

wildlife, plants and their habitats for

the continuing benefit of the American

people.”

National Fish Hatchery System;

Who We Are

The National Fish Hatchery System

(NFHS) is com prised of 70 Fish

Hatcheries, 7 Fish Techn ology Centers,

and 9 F ish Hea lth Cen ters nation wide. 

The NFHS operated by the U.S. Fish &

Wildlife Service has a unique

responsibility in helping restore native

aquatic populations, mitigate for

fisheries lost as a result of federal water

projects, provide fish to benefit Tribes

and the National Wildlife Refuges, and

to recover species listed under the

Endangered Species Act. The NFHS

works c losely w ith other p rogram s in

the Service and with the States, Tribes,

and the private sector to complement

habitat restoration and other resource

management strategies for maintaining

healthy ecosystems that support healthy

fisheries.

Ennis National Fish Hatchery

Established in 1931, Ennis NFH was

located for the purpose of taking trout

eggs from wild populations, and

introducing finge rling fish back into

public waters to sustain and enhance the

sport fishery. The site was selected for

the fractured rock out-cropping which

gravity flows 15,0 00 gallons per m inute

of 54°F spring waters; the ideal

environm ent for producin g trout.

In the 1970's the demand fo r catchable

trout decreased, but the demand for

eggs increased. More emphasis was

placed on broodstock and by the mid80's production exceeded 20 million

eggs. Today, Enn is NFH operates as a

federal broodstock hatchery and

produces over 20 million rainbow trout

eggs annually.

In fiscal year 2000, eyed eggs from 6

strains of rainbow trout were provided

to Federal, State, and Tribal hatcheries,

fish technology centers, and research

facilities in 26 states.

Ennis NFH continues to be whirling

disease free, and recen t construction to

cover the springs ensures its continued

disease-free status.

What is a Broodstock Hatchery?

Broodstock are adult fish that produce

eggs and sperm. A brood stock hatchery

specializes in rearing fish to adult size,

then taking the eggs from those fish,

fertilizing the eggs with sperm,

incubating th e eggs throug h the fragile

early stages, and shipping them to

production hatcheries where

they are hatched and the fish are raised

to stockable sizes.

Ennis NFH is the largest facility in the

Service’s National Broodstock Program,

and is one of only two rainbow trout

broodstock hatcheries in the nationwide

Federal hatchery system. To meet the

trout production demands, Ennis NFH

facilities include 38 hatchery tanks, 48

circular tanks, and 36 raceways.

6 different strains of rainbow trout are

reared at Ennis NFH, each strain being

named for their original location:

# McConaughy (Nebraska)

# Eagle Lake (California)

# Shasta (California)

# Fish Lake (Utah)

# Erwin (Tennessee)

# Arlee (Montana)

As a result of the Ennis NFH

Broodstock program, ec onomic be nefits

weigh-in at 5 million angler days and

generates $50 million per year in 26

states.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service For Additional Information, Ennis National Fish Hatchery

1 800/344 WILD Please Contac t: 180 Fish Hatchery Road

http://www.fws.gov Ennis, MT 59729

February 2001 406/682 4847

R6FFA_ENN@fws.gov

Hatchery employees D ave Noble an d Jim M cFall holding a pair of Sha sta strain

rainbow trout broodstock; USFWS

Eagle Lake strain trout eggs on screen

just before being put down in tank;

USFWS

How Does the Hatchery Help?

Enn is NFH helps in m any w ays! 

Currently, the hatchery produces trout

eggs to fill production hatchery needs

throughou t the nation. These fish help

to replenish and encourage sustainable

trout populations and provide angling

opportunities for recreational users like

you!

As the natural aquatic habitat changes

from natural (drought, flood, habitat

destruction) or human (over-harvest,

pollution, habitat loss due to

development and dam construction)

influences, the natural production of fish

declines. Stocking of fish is one of the

many management strategies used by

biologists to help replenish the

populations for ye ars to com e. 

Public Use Opportunities

Open t o the pu blic 7 day s a week , Enn is

NFH w elcomes visitors to the hatchery

for a closeup view of the fish production

process. With over 3,000 visitors

annually, the dedicated staff at the

hatchery w ill normally be av ailable to

answer your questions. Educational

programs/tours are provided for the

public and school groups when

scheduled in advance.

There is a small visitor center in the

building, and an outside display pond

with rainbow trout weighing over 20

pounds. Visitors a re invited to walk

around the raceways where most of the

adult trout are held, and visit the

hatchery b uilding where e ggs and sm all

fish are reared.

Supporting Our Communities

Ennis NFH is a proud participant in the

local communities. As part of the

outreach program, the hatchery stocks

the Ennis Kids Pond for National

Fishing Week and provides educational

prizes for participants. The hatchery

also supports local schools and groups

with educational material on fish and

endangered species.

Additionally, the hatchery stocks retired

broodfish into waters of Montana and 

Colorado where they w ill not interfere

with endan gered fish or wildlife and will

give ang lers the ch ance to t est their

skills landing big fish. Retired broodfish

are also donate d to the Ho rsebutte

Wildlife Rehab Center as food for eagles

and ospreys.

Ennis NFH is located in Madison

County, 12 miles southw est of Ennis,

along the northeastern foothills of the

Gravelly Range. Com e prepared for a

day of fun!