Virtual Tour of Fort Peck Hatchery

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• Virtual Tour of Fort Peck Hatchery

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Welcome to the Hatchery
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Raceways outside the Hatchery
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Entry Way
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Conference Room
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Holding Tanks
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Automated Incubation
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This is how they fill the tanks
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Sturgeon Room
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Newly Hatched Minnow
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Fresh Water Pumps
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Pump Room
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All the commodities of home!
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Several years ago warm water anglers from across
the state of Montana banned together to promote
the building of a Warm Water Multi-Species Fish
Hatchery at Fort Peck and thanks to the hard work
and persistence of these anglers the Fort Peck
Multi-Species Fish Hatchery was built.  This
hatchery has been and continues to be supported
by sportsmans groups, individuals and businesses
all across Montana but it seems every year and
every legislative session we have to confront
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) on the
funding of the hatchery. This upcoming year will
be no different but comes with some very
different ideas on how to further fund the
hatchery.   In the fall of 2007 MFWP asked
legislators, individuals and sportsmans groups
from across the state to come together with MFWP
to come up with and decide on funding proposals
that would fund the Fort Peck Hatchery for all
time. Three group meetings were held and
proposals and needs were discussed and the
proposals were narrowed down. MFWP decided on two
proposals both of which would lift the
restrictions on the species raised in the
hatchery and in turn MFWP would start raising
trout in the hatchery. In order for this to take
place the current laws applying to the Fort Peck
Hatchery would have to be changed by the
legislature.   It is Walleyes Unlimited of
Montanas opinion that 8.5 Cold Water Hatcheries
in Montana is enough and that the warm water
anglers of Montana are entitled to at least one
hatchery solely dedicated to raising warm water
species and therefore we do not agree with MFWPs
proposals. The Fort Peck Hatchery by law can be
funded by two sources the Warm Water Stamp and
any type of Federal Funds available. Walleyes
Unlimited will be asking the 2009 legislature to
pass a bill forcing MFWP to give the Fort Peck
Hatchery its fair share of Wallop/Bureaux federal
funds to cover the additional funding needed for
operation and maintenance.   The Fort Peck
Hatchery is one of the most state of the art
hatcheries on the Missouri River and WUM hopes
that the following facts list will help to inform
the people of Montana about the history and the
current workings of the Fort Peck Hatchery and
why it needs to stay a strictly Warm Water Multi
Species Hatchery.