We intercept green fish migrating to their spawning ground. We obtain broodstock from an elevator style fish lift at the Conowingo dam or directly from recreational anglers in the Susquehanna River. Fish are placed in spawning tank systems and allowed to spawn as they would in the wild. Fertilized eggs are removed from the spawning tanks and grown to larval size. The Potomac Electric Power Company assists us in our efforts by operating a fully staffed intensive culture facility to grow juvenile fish.
All fish receive a distinct mark to later distinguish hatchery fish from wild fish.
OTC is deposited in calcium and fluoresces under ultraviolet light. This allows identification of the river- specific marks we apply to the fish. Wire tag data provides even more specific information. We are currently concentrating on restoring populations in the Choptank River and Patuxent River. To date the program has stocked 9.5 million American shad and 42 million hickory shad in these tributaries.