U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery

Station Facts This includes the Daniel Boone ■ Established: 1975. National Forest, Fort Knox, and Fort Campbell waters. ■ Number of staff: eight permanent. ■ Provide rainbow and brown trout Geographic Area Covered fingerlings for mitigation stocking ■ Basin, KY in Georgia. (mitigation)—/ Tailwater (TW), Martin’s Fork ■ Provide a refuge for threatened Lake/TW, Lake/TW. or endangered aquatic species and develop techniques required to ■ River Basin, KY culture these species. photo: USFWS photo: (mitigation)—/TW, Carr Fork Lake/TW. ■ Assist Tribal governments in managing fisheries resources on ■ Green River Basin, KY Tribal lands. (mitigation)— Lake/ TW, Lake/TW, Barren ■ Implement a thorough, perennial River Lake/TW. hatchery product evaluation program. ■ Basin, KY (mitigation)—/TW. ■ Provide environmental education. photo: USFWS photo: ■ Little Sandy River Basin, KY ■ Develop and maintain partnerships (mitigation)—/TW. with chambers of commerce, tourist commissions, Trout Unlimited and ■ Big Sandy River Basin, KY other agencies to promote regional (mitigation)—/TW, support for the fish hatchery. Fish Trap Lake/TW, /TW, Yatesville Lake/TW. ■ Maintain a “Friends Group” to gain community support for the fish ■ Whitewater River Basin/IN hatchery. photo: USFWS photo: (mitigation), Brookeville Lake/TW. Public Use Opportunities ■ Kentucky lakes and streams ■ More than 100,000 visitors yearly. (reimbursable agreement). ■ Hatchery and visitor center tours. ■ Cherokee Indian Reservation, Cherokee, NC. ■ Off-site presentations. Fish Species and Capability ■ Visitor Center exhibits. ■ Rainbow Trout (mitigation/ reimbursable) 231,655 lbs.—740,680 ■ Handicapped accessible public fishing area. photo: USFWS photo: fish at nine inches 1,600 lbs.— James H. Gray, Project Leader 16,000 fish at six inches. ■ Outdoor classroom. Wolf Creek NFH ■ Brown Trout (mitigation/ Calendar of Events 50 Kendall Road reimbursable) 9,410 lbs.—45,550 fish Jamestown, KY 42629 June: Annual Kids Fishing Derby at eight inches 2,358 lbs.—75,450 held during National Fishing Week. Phone: 270/343 3797 fish at four inches. Fax: 270/343 2874 Visit http://www.fws.gov/wolfcreek/ E-mail: [email protected] Station Goals media/ScheduleEvents.pdf for ■ Provide rainbow and brown trout updated events. for mitigation stocking in Kentucky and Indiana. Questions and Answers What kind of fish do you raise? ■ Provide rainbow and brown trout Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery to the Commonwealth of Kentucky is a coldwater fish hatchery which (state management goals) under a means we raise fish that do best in reimbursable agreement. water temperatures below 60 degrees. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Species currently in production at this Do you provide all trout stocked in Is there a website to learn more about facility are rainbow and brown trout. Kentucky? how to become involved with the Yes. The entire trout fishing program Friends of Wolf Creek National Fish Where do the eggs come from? in Kentucky relies solely on the Hatchery, Inc? The rainbow trout eggs come from production of the Wolf Creek NFH. Yes! Please visit http://www. one of three other Federal hatcheries, friendsofwolfcreeknfh.com to learn Erwin NFH, TN; Ennis NFH, MT; What is the economic impact of the more, including how to become a and White Sulphur Springs, WV. fish produced here? member and ways to help support the The direct economic benefit of fish mission of the hatchery! The brown trout eggs come from the produced at the Wolf Creek NFH to Saratoga NFH, WY. All of the eggs the Kentucky economy is $40 million How can I find out more about the are received overnight by Federal annually. The indirect benefit is Express. annual Catch a Rainbow Kid’s estimated at over $75 million in 2004. Fishing Derby along with other What size are the fish when stocked? When was the Visitor/Environmental scheduled outreach events? A small number of fish are stocked Education Center constructed and The website for the annual Catch a at four inches, six inches, and eight what does it offer? Rainbow event is as follows: http:// inches to meet specific management On April 4, 2007, the hatchery www.catcharainbow.org/site/page002. needs. The majority of our fish are officially dedicated the Wolf Creek aspx stocked as a catchable nine inch fish. National Fish Hatchery Visitor/ The Friends Group also works to How long does it take from the egg Environmental Education Center. organize two fall fishing derbies stage to stocking size? The new facility is currently the first annually. The Catch a Smile Fishing It takes 16-18 months to get a trout and only center of its kind in the Derby is designed for seniors 62 years from the egg stage to nine inches. Southeast Region. Through state-of- of age and older while the Reaching the-art exhibits, classroom, indoor for Rainbows Special Kids Fishing Where do you stock the fish raised theater and gift shop, the center Derby was established to help connect here? serves as a fun and engaging learning children with severe physical and/or Most of the fish are stocked into resource for all visitors, especially mental disabilities with fishing. Learn Federal mitigation waters in school children from the region. more about each at the following Kentucky. The other fish are provided The center also offers a myriad of website: http://www.catcharainbow. to the Commonwealth of Kentucky outreach programs and workshops org/site/feedback.aspx under a reimbursable agreement (including the annual Catch a to meet management goals in state Rainbow Kids Fishing Derby, held on You can also visit http://www.fws.gov/ controlled waters. More than 117 the first Saturday in June each year) wolfcreek/media/ScheduleEvents. different waters in Kentucky are and also launched a newly created pdf to see a listing of outreach events, stocked with trout from this facility. environmental education curriculum, including dates for the derbies listed A small number of fingerlings are which is designed for hatcheries above. Contact the hatchery at any provided to the Cherokee Indian and tailored to meet the needs of time to learn more about registration Tribe in North Carolina. teachers in Kentucky. The facility is information. also supported by the Friends of Wolf Do you provide or sell fish to private Creek National Fish Hatchery, Inc. individuals? and a strong volunteer staff. All fish raised at this facility are stocked into public fishing waters. What types of field trip opportunities What do you feed them? do you offer educators, home school A special formulated trout diet very teachers, etc? high in protein to obtain optimal Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery growth. No cat food or dog food is offers a fun, engaging, hands on used. environmental education program that offers children the opportunity to Where does the water come from? have meaningful interactions with fish The hatchery water is received and aquatic habitats! The Biologist- gravity flow from Lake Cumberland in-Training (BiT) program is an at a rate of 12,000-15,000 g.p.m. The experiential environmental education water is used one time then empties curriculum that utilizes National Fish into the Cumberland River. Hatcheries and streams, lakes, ponds and rivers as outdoor classrooms. For more information please visit www.fws.gov/southeast/fisheries/BiT or contact Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery at 270/343 3797 to plan your next field trip visit.