02-28-2005, 11:08 PM
Lets hope the get thier funding soomer than later. John
[size 1]Posted Thursday, February 24, 2005
[/size] Raising fish again at the Midway Hatchery
Editor's Note: This is the eleventh in a series of articles about Utah's state fish hatcheries.
— [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/04-03/hatchery1.html"]Part 1[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-04/hatchery.html"]Part 2[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-04/hatchery3.html"]Part 3[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-04/hatchery4.html"]Part 4[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/08-04/hatchery5.html"]Part 5[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/09-04/hatchery6.html"]Part 6[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/09-04/hatchery7.html"]Part 7[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/04-10/hatchery8.html"]Part 8[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/04-11/hatchery9.html"]Part 9[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/05-02/hatchery10.html"]Part 10[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/05-02/hatchery11.html"]Part 11[/url]
MIDWAY — For many years, the Midway State Fish Hatchery was the biggest fish producer in the state's hatchery system. Up to 200,000 pounds of fish were raised at the hatchery for anglers across the northern half of Utah.
Then in 2000, whirling disease was found in the hatchery and it was closed.
After years of dye and tracer tests, evaluation, well drilling, and design and construction of a partial fish production facility, the Division of Wildlife Resources' hatchery in northern Utah is raising fish again.
Deep wells provide clean water
After evaluations were completed, DWR officials decided the best way to keep whirling disease out of the hatchery was to use deep well water that will provide the hatchery with a clean water source.
It will take about $7 million to construct the hatchery facilities needed to bring production back to where it once was. Securing the funding could be a long process, and DWR officials are working hard to make it happen.
The new facility will consist of covered raceways and a hatchery building that will include indoor fish rearing facilities, a shop and office space.
Temporary production facility
In the mean time, a temporary production station has been built that will allow the hatchery to contribute as many fish to anglers as possible. The temporary facility consists of a 50-foot by 100-foot steel building packed with four large raceways and several small fry troughs.
Once the full hatchery is developed, this building will be used for feed and other storage and as a truck garage. With this in mind, freestanding raceways were designed that can be removed and placed into a permanent setting later. The raceways and plumbing are a rare example of new technology. Because the facility is temporary, the plumbing needed to bring the water from two wells to a degasser, then into the building and throughout the locations inside created many challenges.
Inside the facility, four 90-foot raceways provide about 7,700 cubic feet of rearing space. Ten 12-foot troughs are used to hatch fish eggs and develop recently hatched fish.
The hatchery is scheduled to raise about 20,000 pounds of fish per year. Because of continuing whirling disease concerns, the hatchery remains closed to the public.
History
The Midway Fish Hatchery began in 1909 as a private trout farm. In 1924, the Utah Department of Fish and Game leased the land and began a long-range program to improve facilities. The department purchased the property and water rights in 1932 for $7,000.
Fish were produced in dirt raceways, ponds and some concrete raceways until the late 1950s. Large numbers of concrete raceways were then constructed, but a major part of the production space still consisted of ponds and dirt raceways.
[signature]
[size 1]Posted Thursday, February 24, 2005
[/size] Raising fish again at the Midway Hatchery
Editor's Note: This is the eleventh in a series of articles about Utah's state fish hatcheries.
— [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/04-03/hatchery1.html"]Part 1[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-04/hatchery.html"]Part 2[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-04/hatchery3.html"]Part 3[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/07-04/hatchery4.html"]Part 4[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/08-04/hatchery5.html"]Part 5[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/09-04/hatchery6.html"]Part 6[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/09-04/hatchery7.html"]Part 7[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/04-10/hatchery8.html"]Part 8[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/04-11/hatchery9.html"]Part 9[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/05-02/hatchery10.html"]Part 10[/url], [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/news/05-02/hatchery11.html"]Part 11[/url]
MIDWAY — For many years, the Midway State Fish Hatchery was the biggest fish producer in the state's hatchery system. Up to 200,000 pounds of fish were raised at the hatchery for anglers across the northern half of Utah.
Then in 2000, whirling disease was found in the hatchery and it was closed.
After years of dye and tracer tests, evaluation, well drilling, and design and construction of a partial fish production facility, the Division of Wildlife Resources' hatchery in northern Utah is raising fish again.
Deep wells provide clean water
After evaluations were completed, DWR officials decided the best way to keep whirling disease out of the hatchery was to use deep well water that will provide the hatchery with a clean water source.
It will take about $7 million to construct the hatchery facilities needed to bring production back to where it once was. Securing the funding could be a long process, and DWR officials are working hard to make it happen.
The new facility will consist of covered raceways and a hatchery building that will include indoor fish rearing facilities, a shop and office space.
Temporary production facility
In the mean time, a temporary production station has been built that will allow the hatchery to contribute as many fish to anglers as possible. The temporary facility consists of a 50-foot by 100-foot steel building packed with four large raceways and several small fry troughs.
Once the full hatchery is developed, this building will be used for feed and other storage and as a truck garage. With this in mind, freestanding raceways were designed that can be removed and placed into a permanent setting later. The raceways and plumbing are a rare example of new technology. Because the facility is temporary, the plumbing needed to bring the water from two wells to a degasser, then into the building and throughout the locations inside created many challenges.
Inside the facility, four 90-foot raceways provide about 7,700 cubic feet of rearing space. Ten 12-foot troughs are used to hatch fish eggs and develop recently hatched fish.
The hatchery is scheduled to raise about 20,000 pounds of fish per year. Because of continuing whirling disease concerns, the hatchery remains closed to the public.
History
The Midway Fish Hatchery began in 1909 as a private trout farm. In 1924, the Utah Department of Fish and Game leased the land and began a long-range program to improve facilities. The department purchased the property and water rights in 1932 for $7,000.
Fish were produced in dirt raceways, ponds and some concrete raceways until the late 1950s. Large numbers of concrete raceways were then constructed, but a major part of the production space still consisted of ponds and dirt raceways.
[signature]