ABSTRACT: The beginning of formal fish culture in North America dates back to the 1800s when some of the first references to hatcheries being used for population mitigation purposes surfaced. While the early efforts were focused on the actual science of fish culture, the need to support culture efforts with facilities specifically designed to aid production soon followed. The design of coolwater, warmwater and coldwater fish production facilities ranges from simple repairs at existing facilities to full scale renovations or brand new state of the art hatcheries that can meet the needs of conservation based fish culture. This talk will outline the history of facilities in North America and highlight design features utilized for sportfish and conservation focused facilities.
