Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since August 2007. |
The Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery is a federal, warm water fish hatchery located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Natchitoches is involved in spawning, hatching, and rearing young fish [1].
Contents |
[edit] Facilities
Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery has 53 ponds, each approximately .8 acres in area [2]. In addition, the facility has the Harold B. Wales Environmental Education Classroom, which is used for kindergarten through twelfth grade and for teacher workshops [3]. The classroom seats 32 students and has 16 student grade dissecting microscopes [4].
[edit] The Fish
Natchitoches handles six species of fish, in addition to the Alligator Snapping Turtle and the Louisiana pearlshell mussel.
[edit] Paddlefish
The paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is the only remaining member of the Polyodontidae family [5]. Paddlefish are spawned and raised at Natchitoches until they are approximately six to ten inches (254 mm) in length, before they are released into the wild [6].
[edit] Striped Bass
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are members of the sea bass family. Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery is working to restore the historical range and population levels of these fish [7].
[edit] Pallid Sturgeon
The Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is a member of the sturgeon family. The hatchery is working to develop spawning and culture techniques to raise a large number of Pallid sturgeon [8]. Workers at the hatchery hope to raise enough of these fish to take the species off of the Endangered Species List [9].
[edit] Channel Catfish
The Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is a member of the Ictaluridae family. Natchitoches works to raise many of these fish for release into the wild.
[edit] Largemouth Bass
The Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is the most desired of all freshwater game [10]. Because of this, these bass require the attention of resource management agencies. Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery raises over 1 million largemouth bass every year.
[edit] Bluegill
The Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a fish that is quite easy to catch. The hatchery raises many of these fish every year.
