Pitkin Hatchery
| Pitkin Hatchery | |
|---|---|
  Location in Colorado  Location in United States | |
| General information | |
| Address | 14214 County Rd 76 |
| Town or city | Pitkin, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 38°21′20″N 106°18′55″W / 38.35561°N 106.31516°W |
| Inaugurated | 1914 |
The Pitkin Hatchery is a Colorado Parks and Wildlife cold water fish production facility located in Gunnison National Forest right off of Quartz Creek Valley in Gunnison County.[1]
History
[edit]Pitkin Hatchery was inaugurated in 1914. The land was purchased by Scott Land as a response to cold-water problems, such as limited stock in surrounding waters. The building was constructed in 1906 and built to hold a capacity of one million eggs per year.[2] The elevation spans from 9033 ft - 9446 ft.[3]
Mission
[edit]An overarching mission among the hatchery staff is conservation through the production of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, which is one of Colorado's native fish.
Fish species
[edit]The facility focuses on broodstock and production of trout and kokanee salmon. Hatchery staff works to support the raising of 1 million fish annually, including 150,000 catchable rainbow trout. Rio Grande cutthroat trout are also raised as brood fish. Their source of water comes from a groundwater spring.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Fish Hatcheries". cpw.state.co.us. Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
- ^ Wiltzius, William. "Fish Culture and Stocking in Colorado, 1872-1978" (PDF). Native Fish Lab. Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ "Pitkin SFU (Hatchery)". cpw.state.co.us. Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ McGovern, Maura (18 January 2011). "Water Quality Control Vision Fact Sheet" (PDF). Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Water Quality Control Division: 1–24. Retrieved 30 April 2019.[permanent dead link]