12-18-2003, 04:13 PM
[size 2]Feather River Hatchery is located in Oroville;
Take the Grand Nelson exit from Highway 70, east on Nelson Ave. 2 miles.
South on Table Mountain Blvd. about 0.5 miles to the hatchery entrance.
(Butte County)
[/size]
[size 2]
As a visitor to the Feather River Hatchery, you will witness how humans have intervened to help salmon and steelhead populations. Since the Oroville Dam on the Feather River now blocks the upstream migration of adult spring and fall run chinook salmon and steelhead trout, the hatchery traps the migrating fish for artificial spawning.
Salmon and steelhead, raised at the hatchery, are released in the Feather River and in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary to find their way to the Pacific Ocean where they grow and mature. After two to four years in the ocean, they instinctively return to their place of origin. They proceed through the Delta and up the Sacramento River. They then continue their journey up the Feather River to the hatchery. Some natural straying to other rivers occurs, especially if the fish are trucked and planted downstream of the Feather River.
Though most of the fish spawn naturally in the river gravel beds, those that are artificially spawned at the hatchery produce offspring that have a higher survival rate. Hatchery fish eggs are protected from nature's adversities, such as predation by other fish and birds, abrupt changes in river flow, and high water temperatures. Juvenile fish are well fed and protected from bird predators by screen enclosures.
The Feather River Fish Hatchery is a successful and modern fish-rearing facility. An estimated 20 percent of the ocean sport and commercial catch comes from fish reared at the hatchery.
The Feather River Hatchery is accessible to persons with disabilities. The amenities include designated parking areas, restrooms, and ramps. The ramps provide access to the viewing platform, viewing window, and the gathering tank at the top of the fish ladder. Windows are provided along the spawning building to allow visitors to watch the spawning process.[/size]
[signature]
Take the Grand Nelson exit from Highway 70, east on Nelson Ave. 2 miles.
South on Table Mountain Blvd. about 0.5 miles to the hatchery entrance.
(Butte County)
[/size]
[size 2]
As a visitor to the Feather River Hatchery, you will witness how humans have intervened to help salmon and steelhead populations. Since the Oroville Dam on the Feather River now blocks the upstream migration of adult spring and fall run chinook salmon and steelhead trout, the hatchery traps the migrating fish for artificial spawning.
Salmon and steelhead, raised at the hatchery, are released in the Feather River and in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Estuary to find their way to the Pacific Ocean where they grow and mature. After two to four years in the ocean, they instinctively return to their place of origin. They proceed through the Delta and up the Sacramento River. They then continue their journey up the Feather River to the hatchery. Some natural straying to other rivers occurs, especially if the fish are trucked and planted downstream of the Feather River.
Though most of the fish spawn naturally in the river gravel beds, those that are artificially spawned at the hatchery produce offspring that have a higher survival rate. Hatchery fish eggs are protected from nature's adversities, such as predation by other fish and birds, abrupt changes in river flow, and high water temperatures. Juvenile fish are well fed and protected from bird predators by screen enclosures.
The Feather River Fish Hatchery is a successful and modern fish-rearing facility. An estimated 20 percent of the ocean sport and commercial catch comes from fish reared at the hatchery.
The Feather River Hatchery is accessible to persons with disabilities. The amenities include designated parking areas, restrooms, and ramps. The ramps provide access to the viewing platform, viewing window, and the gathering tank at the top of the fish ladder. Windows are provided along the spawning building to allow visitors to watch the spawning process.[/size]
[signature]