Louisiana’s freshwater fish hatcheries are an integral part of the LDWF’s mission of enhancing sport fishing opportunities for everyone to enjoy. The LDWF runs four freshwater hatcheries which hatch and raise a number of important fish species that are used to jump-start fish populations. Stocking of hatchery fish can greatly speed up the repopulation of a habitat. Another goal of the hatcheries is to help meet management goals like fostering a trophy bass fishery in the state.
LDWF operates four hatcheries that vary in size and function. Opened in 1997, the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery is the largest and most modern. This hatchery is made up of 53 acres of ponds, 16 outdoor raceways and a spacious hatchery building for culture operations.
Located in Forest Hill, La., the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery is the hub of the egg and small fish production and is centrally located in the state to facilitate the distribution of larval fish to grow-out facilities.
The visitor center, with over 10,000 gallons of aquaria provides outreach and education opportunities for the public. Tours are available to small group walk-ins from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and can also accommodate larger school groups by appointment by contacting Alayna McGarry at [email protected] or (318) 748.6914.
The oldest hatchery in the system is the Beechwood Fish Hatchery. It houses fish in its 43 acres of ponds and a small fish holding facility. It began raising fish to stock farm ponds in the 1920’s and has grown over the years. It is mainly a grow-out facility but still does some production.
The Monroe Fish Hatchery is much smaller, with 11 acres of ponds, but the environment is conducive to raising largemouth bass, bluegill, threadfin shad, channel catfish and alligator snapping turtles.
The Huey P. Long Fish Hatchery, located in Lacombe, La., is the smallest of the four hatcheries. It is located in the southeastern corner of the state and is used primarily as a grow-out facility for fingerling bass.
The hatchery system raises a variety of species depending on particular stocking needs. These species include Florida largemouth bass, striped bass, hybrid striped bass, black crappie, channel catfish, bluegill, redear sunfish and paddlefish.
They also produce forage fish like goldfish, fathead minnows, threadfin shad and golden shiners.
LDWF is integrating the Florida largemouth bass into Louisiana waters to increase the potential for anglers to catch trophy bass in Louisiana. The process of producing bass in captivity is fascinating. The male and female bass are placed in large concrete raceways with artificial nests for the fish to lay and fertilize their eggs. The eggs are collected and moved to incubation tanks where they hatch into sac fry. After a period of time the fry grow and begin swimming at the top of the tanks and taking larger foods. They are then moved to ponds and grown into fingerlings.
These fingerlings are distributed around the state based on prioritized management needs.
