Cold Water: Big Fish

     Imagine yourself plunging into a 40-60 degree Fahrenheit lake or stream! While most people would find that unbearable, trout and salmon thrive in such frigid waters. At Wild Rose Hatchery, we specialize in raising these cold water fish. In fact, Wild Rose Hatchery is the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' largest coldwater fish hatchery. We also raise coolwater fish which prefer 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit during the growing season.

[click on map for a better view]

Location

     The Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery is located on State Highway 22, just north of the Village of Wild Rose.

Address:   N5871 State Road 22

                   Wild Rose, WI  54984

Phone:       920-622-3527

Hours:       9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. everyday

What is unique about this hatchery?

Wild Rose is the only hatchery to experimentally raise northern pike, muskellunge and walleye on artificial feed.

Successful rearing of lake sturgeon was developed here and this is one of only two combination (cold and coolwater) state hatcheries in Wisconsin.

The Wild Rose timber demonstration forest planted with native white, jack and red pine is adjacent to the hatchery. You may hike or cross country ski the trail while learning more about forestry management.

A smorgasbord of fish

     With both cold and coolwater capabilities, Wild Rose Fish Hatchery is able to raise a variety of fish. Brown trout and Chinook salmon are the coldwater fish raised here. Coolwater fish raised at Wild Rose Hatchery include northern pike, muskellunge, hybrid muskellunge (cross between northern pike and musky), walleye, suckers and sturgeon. Coolwater fish are very sensitive to movement, light, noise and other distractions. Something as simple as walking along the ponds could startle these fish, causing them to stress and an easy target for disease. To prevent such problems, we do not allow the public to view the coolwater fish. A show pond with a few large is available for viewing these elusive creatures.

How did they get here?

     Brown trout eggs (roe) and sperm (milt) come from brood stock kept on the premises. Brood fish are mature adult fish which are kept for egg and sperm collection. This allows hatchery workers to begin production of brown trout right at the hatchery, without having to go elsewhere to collect fish. An average of 2.9 million brown trout eggs are taken yearly. Some of the brood stock can be seen in the show pond.

     Our Chinook salmon come from roe and milt collected from spawning adults at Strawberry Creek in Door County, Wisconsin. After stocking, Chinook salmon migrate out to live in the Great Lakes for four years, returning to reproduce (spawn) in the fresh water streams in which they were stocked. During their spawning "run," the adults are netted at selected sites, roe and milt are removed, mixed and taken to the hatchery for incubation. About 2.7 million Chinook eggs are collected annually.

     Coolwater fish raised in Wild Rose Hatchery originate from wild fish parents. When these species are ready to reproduce in the spring, hatchery workers set nets in various lakes and streams in areas where the fish are known to spawn. Roe and adult milt are taken from the netted adult by gently rubbing their abdomens. An average of 8 million northern pike eggs and 22 million sucker eggs are brought into Wild Rose Hatchery each year.

Care and feeding of fish

   Fertilized coldwater fish eggs are put in horizontal trays. About 8,000 eggs fit in each tray. The trays stacked tanks or "incubator" so water can flow continuously over and through them. When the fish hatch, they are called sac-fry. Sac-fry are small fish with the yolk sac attached to their bodies. The yolk sac nourishes the small fish approximately 30 days, or until they begin to feed on their own. When the yolk sac become completely absorbed, fish are called fry until they are about 1 inch long. After that, they are called fingerlings until they reach 1 year old. At 1 year old they are called yearlings.

     Fertilized coolwater fish eggs brought to the hatchery are put into incubators called "hatching jars." Water continuously flows from under the eggs so they remain slightly in suspension or "rolling."  Excess water and dead or unhealthy eggs float to the top and run out of the jar over a spout.

     As the fish grow they are moved with a portable tank on a tractor. Moving fish prevents the fish from becoming too crowded in the rearing tanks. Some of the trout are fed with an automatic feeder which is hooked up to a tractor. The tractor drives along the raceways and a large fan blows fish food into the water. The fish can feel vibrations from the tractor approaching and they anxiously await their meal at the edges of the raceways.  Other trout are fed by hand. Most of the coolwater fish are fed with automatic feeders that distribute a set amount of food at timed intervals.

     Hatchery employees are responsible for all phases of hatching and rearing the fish. Their duties include: collecting trout eggs, incubating eggs, feeding fish, keeping important records on the fish, stocking some of the fish and maintaining all equipment.

Final Destinations

     Northern pike, walleye, muskellunge, hybrid muskellunge and sturgeon raised at Wild Rose Hatchery are stocked in Wisconsin inland waters. Approximately 6.4 million northern pike fry (newly hatched) and 47,000 fingerlings 1-11 months old) up to eight inches long are stocked annually.

     Ninety-nine percent of all northern pike are stocked to reintroduce fish into waters were previous populations have been depleted.

     About 19,000 hybrid musky are reared and stocked annually. In addition, cooperating sports clubs are also given hybrid muskellunge to rear each year. The fish are eight to ten-inch fingerlings and then stocked in the  southern half of   Wisconsin. True muskellunge  and walleye fingerlings are also stocked in southern and central Wisconsin.

     Sturgeon have been stocked in the St. Louis River (on the Minnesota and Wisconsin border) and in the Menominee River (on the border between the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin).

     Wild Rose Hatchery produces more brown trout than any other Wisconsin state hatchery. About 280,000 fingerlings and 400,000 yearlings are stocked annually. Ninety percent are stocked in Lake Michigan. Also, about half a million small fingerlings are transferred to other facilities for further rearing.

     Chinook salmon are raised to three-inch fingerlings and a total of 1.5 million are stocked in lakes Superior and Michigan. Fisheries managers make certain enough fish are released in Lake Michigan near Strawberry Creek so they can find the creek four years later when they are ready to spawn.

     When stocking time arrives, the trout and salmon are seined out of the ponds and raceways with nets, put into transport trucks and driven to their stocking destination.