McNenny State Fish Hatchery
McNenny Hatchery is located 10 miles west of Spearfish, just off I-90 and near the Wyoming border.
Trout and salmon, not native to South Dakota, are raised here for stocking the state's public fishing waters.
McNenny Hatchery was originally built and operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The site was formerly owned by James McNenny, who sold it to the State of South Dakota in 1943. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leased the land from the state and constructed the hatchery in 1951.
The hatchery was transferred to the GFP in 1983, and was remodeled to improve the water supply, incubation, and indoor rearing tank system. It is one of three state fish hatcheries and is an important part of the Black Hills trout management and Missouri River salmon programs.
Visitation
Visitors are welcome year-round. Take I-90 west from Spearfish 10 miles, then take Exit 2 and follow the signs.
Educational programs the hatchery offer numerous learning opportunities. School groups of any age are welcom as well as any other organized group.
Numerous volunteering opportunities exist at the hatchery, whether it is working with the fish, educating hatchery visitors or hatchery maintenance.
McNenny State Fish Hatchery
19619 Trout Loop
Spearfish, SD 57783
Phone: 605.642.6920
Fax: 605.642.6921
Fish Production
Protecting and improving habitat in lakes, streams and marsh systems is a high priority for South Dakotans. Good habitat is the most important factor leading to good fishing.
The raising and stocking of fish is a secondary tool. It is used with a limited number of sportfish species in situations where natural reproduction of the fish is lacking. This hatchery and other state fisheries stations provide suitable sizes and numbers of fish in these situations.
Trout were first introduced into the Black Hills in 1886. They are now common in many state waters, and do reproduce naturally in some locations. McNenny supplies trout to waters where natural reproduction does not occur or is too low to provide suitable numbers of fish for anglers.
Chinook salmon were introduced into Lake Oahe, a large Missouri River reservoir, in 1982. Since natural reproduction of salmon is not possible in Oahe, the population is maintained entirely by stocking hatchery-raised fish.
How the hatchery works
Adult eggs are obtained from wild populations or from other hatcheries. Eggs collected from female fish are fertilized with sperm from male fish.
Eggs are placed in trays and allowed to develop. The eyes become visible about halfway through development. The young fish, called fry, hatch after about 40 days.
The fry remain in trays until they absorb food stored in their yolk sacs, then they are moved to circular tanks.
The fish are fed a commercial fish food by automatic feeders. As they grow, they are spread out into additional tanks, and eventually are moved to the rearing ponds or covered raceways for further growth.
Raceways are long, rectangular concrete ponds through which water flows. At McNenny, they are covered to protect the trout and salmon from strong sunlight and predators.
Two artesian wells and numerous springs provide McNenny year-round with 2,000 gallons per minute of 52 degree F. water. The water is aerated before being delivered to the fish-rearing facilities.
The trout and salmon are stocked into public fishing waters in South Dakota where these cold-water fish can live.
McNenny stocks both fingerlings (3-4 inches long, top) and catchables (8-10 inches long, bottom). Conditions at the stocking site determine the size of fish to be stocked. Factors include amount of natural reproduction , type and amount of food available, and how much fishing takes place at the site.
The S.D. State Fish Health Lab is located at McNenny. Fish are screened here for disease-causing agents.
