Hatcheries

 

Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery

Friends of Cal-Ore Fish has been pleased to help financially support Rowdy Creek Hatchery since 1979.

The Smith River is a famous fishing stream, long noted for it's huge Steelhead (up to 30 lbs.) and Chinook salmon (up to 100 lbs.) is the third largest stream in California. It is a major route for migrating adult fish to reach theirspawning grounds.

In 1968 the 15-member Kiwanis Club of Smith River decided to sponsor the construction and operation of a fish hatchery to increase and perpetuate the native runs of Steelhead and Chinook salmon in the Smith River. In 1970, after what seemed like an insurmountable amount of red tape, the state finally passed unprecedented legislation granting the Kiwanis Club of Smith River a permit to build and operate the first privately owned fish hatchery in the state of California. 

Rowdy Creek was built entirely with donated funds, labor and materials. The property was donated and the hatchery sits at the confluence of Dominie and Rowdy Creeks. The California Department of Fish and Game provides technical support. Rowdy Creek operates 365 days per year.

 

Hatchery Operations...

   

"Eyed Up Eggs" 

The eggs lie in the gravel through the winter, as the embryos within develop. In early spring, yolk-sac fry, or alevins, hatch. The tiny fish carry a food supply (a sac of egg yolk) attached to their bellies. They will not leave the protection of the gravel until the yolk is used up, 12 weeks or more. At that time, the young salmon, now called fry, swim up to the surface, gulp air to fill their swim bladders, and begin to feed.

Newly Hatched Alevin

 

Fry spend a year or more in their home stream in the case of some species, feeding on insects and other tiny animals. For these species, high quality stream habitat is particularly important. Streambed vegetation creates shade and supports many of the insects the young fish will eat. Snags, roots, and boulders provide hiding places and act as "breaks" that keep flood waters from sweeping the fry downstream. Chinook salmon head for the sea soon after they emerge from the gravel. 

Salmon Fry

 

Smolt

Environmental cues cause physical and behavioral changes called smolting: scales become larger, color turns silvery, tails lengthen and become more deeply forked. Smaller smolts let the current carry them downstream, tail first, while larger smolts swim actively. Much of their traveling is done at night to avoid predators. Human activity has created additional hazards, from dams to pollution, which reduce their chances of survival.

 

Adult Chinook Salmon