Genoa National Fish Hatchery’s trout production is now underway for the upcoming year. First to arrive on station were Lake Trout from Cayuga Lake (New York) followed by Coaster Brook Trout from Iron River National Fish Hatchery (Wisconsin), Landlocked Atlantic Salmon eggs from White River National Fish Hatchery (Vermont) and Rainbow Trout from Ennis National Fish Hatchery (Montana).

Genoa NFH receives approximately 100,000 Shasta strain rainbow trout eggs from Ennis National Fish Hatchery annually. Ennis National Fish Hatchery is the largest facility in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Broodstock Program and specializes in rearing fish to adult size, then taking the eggs from those fish, incubating them, and shipping them to production hatcheries.

These Rainbow Trout are being raised to provide a cost recoverable recreational fishery at the Fort McCoy Army Base in Sparta, Wisconsin, as well as to increase recreational fishing opportunities through various federal, tribal, and state partnerships. In addition, they are stocked for recreational fishing opportunities for fishing events for people with disabilities, elderly adult and kids fishing days on hatchery grounds, the Veterans Administration hospital in Tomah WI for their annual fishing event for disabled veterans, Chad Erickson Memorial Park for Hillview Nursing home residents and the public, Camp Decorah for Boy Scouts of America recreational fishing pond and other locations in Wisconsin and Iowa waters.  Fort McCoy is a United States Army installation and is used primarily as a military training center and a support site for military personnel and their families. The site has multiple ponds for fishing opportunities for soldiers and their families, and the general public with a base fishing permit. Genoa National Fish Hatchery raises rainbow trout for spring stocking to six Fort McCoy locations: Squaw Lake, Sandy Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Stillwell Lake, Swamp Pond, and Sparta Pond.
In 2022 Genoa NFH stocked 18,597 catchable size (11 inches) Rainbow Trout in Fort McCoy waters. The stocking of rainbow trout provides a great recreational fishing opportunity for military staff and their families as well as for Fort McCoy visitors. Past studies have shown that for 15,000 fish annually stocked on the base results to 66,580 angler hours of fishing.
By: Orey Eckes