Visiting the Green Lake National Fish Hatchery

Driving from Mariaville to Ellsworth or back again, you pass on the west side of 180 a sign for the Green Lake National Fish Hatchery. Built in the 1970s, the hatchery is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and plays to this day an important role in boosting and maintaining Atlantic salmon populations around the region. Although the hatchery hasn’t really been updated in five decades—just look at those heavy, squat concrete buildings—it doesn’t need to be, since the hatchery isn’t fancy or anything other than what it claims to be, which is a breeding ground for fish.

The office is open Monday through Friday, but the site itself is open seven days a week. We went on a Sunday morning and no one else was there. We parked in a visitor parking spot, leashed up the dog, and strolled into the covered area called “Visitor Viewing Area,” where we saw round tank after round tank of fish. The nearest tank held what a friendly employee called the “show fish”—adult Atlantic salmon that were easily 30 inches in length and 10 pounds in weight. All of the other tanks housed fry, tiny two-inch fish that will become parr, the next stage in the salmon life cycle, within a month’s time.

Because we were the only people there, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee gave us a show, allowing us to watch as he poured fish food into each tank. After we signed the guest registry, the only thing left to do was head back outside and check out the hiking trails, of which there’s a whole interconnected network. Although we were assured the trails are “very well-marked,” we lost the trail less than five minutes in. That stress, combined with the clouds of mosquitos, made us turn back early. We have enough trails at the Lincoln School to walk and keep working on!

Final assessment: The hatchery is a cool place to visit because it’s not something you see every day. You can go rain or shine (the fish tanks are covered) and take your (leashed) dog.