Coleman NFH

Coleman NFH is located in Anderson, CA. The hatchery raises approx. 12 million fall Chinook, 1 million late-fall Chinook and 600,000 steelhead annually.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Don't be "caught" without a Valentine. Your special someone will be "hooked" when you send them this sweet poem.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Today approximately 240,000 juvenile winter Chinook salmon were released into the Sacramento River. These fish have been raised at Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery, it's the only hatchery in the world that spawns winter Chinook salmon!

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 26 of the hatchery alphabet
Z is for Zooplankton

There are two types of plankton, phytoplankton- tiny plants and zooplankton-small animals. The phytoplankton are eaten by zooplankton which are eaten by larger animals including salmon and some whales!

📸: NASA

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 25 of the hatchery alphabet
Y is for "Yolk sac"

After hatching the egg yolk-sac remains attached to the belly of young fish. This yolk-sac contains the nutrients needed for the fish to continue to grow and develop.
📸: Taylor Lipscomb/USFWS

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 24 of the hatchery alphabet

X is for...well, this one was tough (and we are open to suggestions for an "x" word) but today x is used in "oxygen"

Did you know fish need oxygen too? They use their gills to absorb oxygen directly into their bloodstream.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 23 of the hatchery alphabet
W is for "waders"

You will often catch our staff knee deep in a raceway cleaning, repairing, or crowding. To stay dry staff wear waders-heavier ones for colder weather and lighter ones for warmer weather.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 22 of the hatchery alphabet
V is for "Volunteer"

Our volunteers are the best!

If you are interested in volunteering send us a message! We are always looking for new volunteers and will provide all necessary training.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 21 of the hatchery alphabet

U is for "underwater"

Obviously all of the animals we care for are located underwater! For our fish to survive as eggs all the way to adults they need clean, cool water.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 20 of the hatchery alphabet
T is for "Tagging"

Each year millions of Chinook salmon leaving the hatchery are tagged by our automated tagging trailer. These tag, called coded-wire-tags, can provide biologists with information about the fish like age and hatchery origin.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 19 of the hatchery alphabet
S is for "Steelhead"

Did you know that we raise steelhead (aka rainbow trout that are anadromous) here at Coleman NFH? Each year we release approximately 600,000 juvenile steelhead into the Sacramento River system.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 18 of the hatchery alphabet
R is for "River"

Did you know the Sacramento River is the only river in the world with four distinct runs of Chinook salmon? The four runs are fall, late-fall, winter and spring. The Sacramento River has Chinook salmon in it year round!

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 17 of the hatchery alphabet
Q is for "quarantine"

Occasionally we have to separate or quarantine fish. This is typically done for fish health reasons. Quarantine is also used to in other hatcheries to prevent the spread of invasive species like Zebra Mussel.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 16 of the hatchery alphabet
P is for "pond"

The most popular ponds are probably our adult holding ponds. These ponds are filled seasonally and visitors can see fish splashing and swimming from October through March, with the best viewing in October.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 15 of the hatchery alphabet

O is for "ozone"

In an effort to keep fish healthy we treat all of our water with ozone. The ozone gas is bubbled through the incoming water where it attacks organic matter, after being treated water is used for fish rearing.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 14 of the hatchery alphabet
N is for "Net"

There are different mesh sizes for eggs, juveniles and adults, there are nets with six inch handles and some with eight foot handles, and also use a seine (giant net) that is 75' long!

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 13 of the hatchery alphabet
M is for "McCloud"

The McCloud River was home to the first Federal fish hatchery-Baird Station. The hatchery was founded in 1872 by Livingston Stone and ceased operation in 1937 due to construction of Shasta Dam.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 12 of the hatchery alphabet
L is for "lamprey"

Lamprey live in Battle Creek and in the Sacramento River. We see evidence of lamprey scars on Chinook entering the hatchery.

Photo Credit: Freshwaters Illustrated/USFWS

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 11 of the hatchery alphabet
K is for "Keswick Trap"

Kewsick Dam is the uppermost limit of migration for fish on the Sacramento River. A fish ladder located in the middle of the dam leads to a fish trap where fish can be collected and then driven to Livingston Stone NFH

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Taking a break from the hatchery alphabet today to wish everyone a happy July 4th! Wishing you a safe Independence Day as you celebrate our nation’s birthday and history.

[Coleman NFH @USFWSColeman]

Day 10 of the hatchery alphabet
J is for "Jump start"

In March of 2018 approximately 200,000 juvenile winter run Chinook salmon were released to Battle Creek to "jump start" the reintroduction of winter Chinook into the creek. Adults have returned each year since 2019.