Inside the Adirondack Fish Hatchery: A lifeline for Atlantic salmon, round whitefish

New York plans $75 million investment in state-run fish hatcheries

By Zachary Matson

Where users of the Adirondack Rail Trail pass the shore of Little Clear Pond near Lake Clear, pipes buried deep beneath the railbed carry a steady flow of water to a state-operated fish hatchery.

The water that moves through those pipes — about 1 billion gallons per year — sustains the state’s entire population of stocked Atlantic salmon and endangered round whitefish raised to restore a diminished population. 

Adirondack Fish Hatchery’s five-person staff take turns working major holidays — someone must always attend to its charges.  

One of the first tranches of money from the $4.2 billion state’s environmental bond was earmarked for improvements across the state’s 12 hatcheries.

Jim Daley, superintendent of fish culture at the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said $75 million was allocated for hatchery investments, and that he expected an engineering report with spending recommendations in the coming weeks. 

The specifics of those investments are still being worked out. But the Adirondack hatchery, first used to raise fish in the late-1800s and rebuilt around 1980, could benefit from improvements to a dam on Little Clear and upgrades to other storage buildings.

Across the state hatchery system, fish culture stations could see improved water recirculation, especially where maintaining a consistent supply of cold water is challenged. 

“All hatcheries will benefit,” Daley said. “Some more than others.” 

Inside the hatchery: How it works

Drawing water from Little Clear and a small collection of wells, the Adirondack hatchery uses about 3 million gallons of water per day. The steady flow of cold, oxygenated water cycling through incubation trays, raceways and large artificial ponds is essential to raise tens of thousands of fish as they grow to six or seven inches before being stocked across the Adirondacks and the state — over 30,000 pounds of fish a year.

To keep the fish healthy, a gravity-fed water system pushes each new gallon of water through the hatchery in a few hours. Water in storage ponds cycles out within about 90 minutes.  

“The fish need fresh water,” said Matt Jackson, the hatchery manager. “If it’s stagnant, they won’t be happy.”

Intake pipes positioned at different depths in Little Clear connect for more or less cold water that can be mixed to the desired temperature. 

Wells provide a supply of consistent water temperatures to raise and hatch fish eggs during the colder months, when water from the pond drops. 

Supplemental oxygen is added to the water during the summer months, when oxygen concentrations decline in the pond.

After passing through raceways and tanks, the hatchery water drains to concrete settling ponds, where sediment and nutrients are filtered and removed by staff. 

The hatchery recently adopted more stringent protocols to address concerns about phosphorus discharging to Upper Saranac Lake, switching to low-phosphorus fish food and increasing water sampling. Under its wastewater discharge permit, the hatchery can release 4.1 million gallons of used water a day into Hatchery Brook, which flows to Upper Saranac Lake.

What’s next

Daley said state fisheries managers are exploring ways to add native brook trout strains to those reared at the Adirondack hatchery, bringing the program closer to the waters it most benefits.

The South Otselic hatchery in Chenango County raises brook trout, and the state also relies on private hatcheries to supply its native brook trout stocking program. Warren County raises native brook trout for DEC at its Warrensburg hatchery. 

Hatchery crews and fisheries managers aim to balance the recreational interests of anglers — a major tourist draw to the Adirodnacks — with the species restoration and protection desires of conservationists. 

“Many of the people most interested in clean water are anglers,” Daley said.