Columnist Barb Henderson: Renovation closes local fish hatchery

Barb Henderson

Friday, April 11, 2003 | 8:54 a.m.

Barb Henderson is an outdoors enthusiast, freelance writer and producer/host of outdoors radio television programming. Her column appears Friday in the Sun.

The Lake Mead Fish Hatchery, which releases approximately 500,000 fish annually into Southern Nevada waters, will close Monday for the start of an $8 million renovation project that is intended to bring the hatchery up to code and enhance the fish population.

Built in 1972, the Lake Mead hatchery supplies fish-stocking programs at Lake Mead, within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Lake Mohave on the Colorado River; and urban ponds in Boulder City, Sunset Park in Henderson, Lorenzi Park in Las Vegas, Floyd Lamb State Park and the Cold Creek pond.

The hatchery provides stocking every week at Lake Mead from fall through early spring. Lake Mohave and the urban park ponds are stocked every other week during this time.

During the renovation, the fish-stocking program will continue with rainbow trout being purchased from a contractor for all stocked waters in Clark County. Fisheries in Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties will be planted with trout from the Nevada Division of Wildlife's northern hatcheries.

The Lake Mead hatchery is scheduled to start rearing fish again in January 2004 with the first stockings expected to begin in September 2004.

An important part of the Lake Mead renovation will be the installation of a new water tower and aeration system, which will remove nitrogen and add oxygen to the water. A new oxygen injection system will be added to all ponds.

The project will also include a new incubator system, which is expected to increase the survivability of newly hatched fish through better water circulation.

After fish grow to 2 inches in length, they will be moved to new fiberglass nursery ponds inside the building. When they grow to 6 inches, they will be moved to 24 new rearing ponds, also inside the building. The 16 ponds outside the building also will be renovated.

A new drum filter system will be added to the existing settling pond system that will filter the water before it is returned to Lake Mead.

The visitor center will be expanded to approximately four times its current size with plans of including interactive displays and aquariums.

Perhaps during future exciting fishing expeditions on Southern Nevada waters, the enjoyment and excitement of a tug at the end of the fishing line will be because of all the impending renovation work at the Lake Mead Fish Hatchery.