Arizona
Game and Fish hatcheries produce almost 3 million
trout each year for angling enjoyment
 Did you ever wonder where that feisty rainbow
trout on the end of your line came from?
Most likely, the trout that brought a smile
to your face did not originally come from the
stream, river or lake where you caught it: it
was stocked from an Arizona Game and Fish Department
hatchery at some stage it its life.
Natural trout reproduction in the state is limited,
yet angler demand is high. The vast majority
of trout caught in Arizona’s public waters
originate from state hatcheries. This past year,
the state hatchery system stocked almost 3 million
trout for anglers to catch.
Most hatcheries have specific areas of the state
where they stock, although there is some overlapping.
Five of these hatcheries – Page
Springs,
Canyon
Creek, Tonto
Creek, Silver
Creek and Sterling
Spring – feature various trout species.
The Bubbling
Ponds Hatchery raises warmwater
sport-fish species, such as largemouth bass.
One small hatchery, Sterling Springs (which is
not open to the public because of its small size),
specializes in hatching the trout eggs and raising
them to fingerling size.
It takes a lot to put that trout on the end
of your line. Raising trout is a complex business
supported primarily from revenues generated by
anglers themselves.
 The hatchery fish are raised from eggs, which
are imported from other hatcheries or providers
in the nation. Last year, Game and Fish imported
around 3.5 million trout eggs for its hatchery
system.
Most fish are raised to catchable size,
which is around 9.5 inches. However, some lakes,
such
as Big Lake in the White Mountains, have a
natural food base and are stocked with smaller
fish such
as fingerlings (3 inches) or sub-catchables
(5 inches). These fish then grow to harvest size
in the lake.
Determining where to stock the fish and in what
quantities takes a coordinated effort between
the hatcheries and the field biologists in the
areas to be stocked. The lakes are scientifically
surveyed using nets and electro-fishing gear
to determine the status of fish populations and
trends, such as survivability, harvest and catchability.
Using the information gathered, biologists determine
their future stocking requests. However, the
system is also adaptable to changing conditions,
such as not enough rain, or even too much rain.
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