The Bellvue-Watson Fish Hatchery is a

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages the state parks system and the wildlife of the U.S. state of Colorado. Responsibilities include state parks, wildlife areas, and the Colorado Natural Areas Program. History *1937 – The state legislature ap ...

cold water fish production facility located near

Cache la Poudre River The Cache la Poudre River ( ), also known as the Poudre River, is a river in the state of Colorado in the United States. Name The name, , is a corruption of the original , or " cache of powder". It refers to an incident in the 1820s when F ...

and Watson Lake State Wildlife Area in

Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denve ...

. Hatchery staff works to support the raising of approximately 1.5 million sub-catchable trout annually. The Watson Lake Rearing Unit, a division within the hatchery, is responsible for rearing approximately 300,000 catchable trout each year. The hatchery stocks fishing sports in Wellington, Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Jumbo Reservoir near Julesburg and Hale ponds. This hatchery also contains Colorado's Fish Research Hatchery, which first began operation in 1968. The staff is responsible for the improvement of hatchery techniques and aquaculture advancement. Methods include conducting feed and fish strain performance evaluations and work to improve both rearing survival and post-stocking survival of hatchery fish. Various areas of study include whirling disease resistant strain research,

broodstock Broodstock, or broodfish, are a group of mature individuals used in aquaculture for breeding purposes. Broodstock can be a population of animals maintained in captivity as a source of replacement for, or enhancement of, seed and fry numbers.Waples ...

, and optimization of production.

History

Bellvue-Watson was inaugurated in 1914 and its building was completed in 1924. The fish research hatchery followed these establishments in 1968. In September 2013 a flood devastated the hatchery, forcing it to close. After several years of repairs, the hatchery was able to reopen in 2017

Mission

An overarching mission among the hatchery staff is educating the public. The facilities provide fish for stock in many areas which supports angling recreation. The facility offers educational materials and tours. Along with this, hatchery technique advancement is a strong goal of the aquatic research facility.

Fish Species

The Bellvue-Watson hatchery raises catchable

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii'' clade) is a clade of four fish species of the Family (biology), family Salmonidae native to cold-water Tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. ...

splake The splake or slake (''Salvelinus namaycush × Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a hybrid of two fish species resulting from the crossing of a male brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') and a female lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush''). The name its ...

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

and rainbow/cutthroat trout hybrids. The aquatic research facility produces native

as well as strains of

that are resistant to whirling disease.

References

{{Reflist Fish hatcheries in the United States Buildings and structures in Larimer County, Colorado Tourist attractions in Colorado Wildlife management areas of Colorado