The resident fish hatcheries are all funded by license dollars and they provide catchable rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and other fish for the angler.
The Idaho Power Company and others fund the anadromous salmon and steelhead hatcheries as mitigation for the construction of dams that block migration of salmon and steelhead to and from the ocean. Most of these fish are marked so the angler can tell them apart from wild salmon and steelhead.
The fish planted were all sizes, from little 1½ inch kokanee to 17-inch long rainbow trout, and generate millions of dollars for the economy of the state.
Fish Hatcheries
Idaho Fish and Game operates 19 fish hatcheries statewide. They raise, manage and support resident fish species and anadromous fish species (fish that live most of their adult life in saltwater but spawn in freshwater).
Visit a Fish Hatchery
Select a hatchery from the list below for information, including locations, about each of the fish hatcheries the department manages.
Panhandle
Clearwater
Magic Valley
Southeast
Upper Snake
Salmon
Growing food for people and fish in Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho
To support the needs of fish and the desires of fisherman on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho Fish and Game staff spawn adult kokanee and then release fry from those spawning efforts into Granite Creek each year.
