Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery

Welcome to the Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery located on the forested banks of the North Fork of the Gunnison River near Delta, Colorado.

 

Park History: In 1967 the Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery was established as part of the Colorado River Storage Project Act. The cool waters of the hatchery come from the nearby Tommy Dowell Spring which was created by the tremors of an Salt Lake City centered earthquake in the 1930's. The spring's water is 56 degrees year round and flows from between 2,200 to 5,000 gallons per minute. As human activity and natural events threaten the habitat of wild trout it is important to keep them in captivity at hatcheries so that they can be reintroduced into the wild. Think of a Hatchery like a fish zoo.