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News Release RI Department of Environmental Management 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-2771 TDD/(401) 222-4462
DEM ANNOUNCES THAT NEW HATCH HOUSE WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AT LAFAYETTE HATCHERY IN NORTH KINGSTOWN The Lafayette Hatchery, where trout are raised for stocking in state waters, is one of four hatcheries managed by DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife. The current Lafayette hatch house, built in the 1950s, is inadequate in both space and facilities. The new Lafayette hatch house will allow for increased production under more up-to-date conditions. It will include an egg hatching area and a number of shallow troughs for the fry. New technology will be used to adjust the water chemistry to benefit the early life stages of the young fish before they are transferred to the outdoor raceways to continue their growth. DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife will have the ability to raise up to 200,000 trout at the new hatch house, compared with the 45,000 to 50,000 raised in the current facility. Raising trout is a two-year process. It begins with staff placing eggs from fish raised at the hatchery into incubators, where they hatch in about 50 days. The fry are then placed in inside tanks and fed almost constantly for about three months, until they reach a length of four inches. They are then transferred to outside raceways until they are fully grown, which is generally about the age of 26 months but can be as early as 18 months. The new 3,500 square foot wood and fiber-cement-sided building will include a public viewing area from the lobby, as well as an office, conference room that can be used for educational programs, and storage space for staff. The project is the last of a number of capital improvements made at the hatchery over the past 10 years, including rebuilding the raceways, replacing the water supply and distribution system, and updating the electrical system. DEM's Division of Planning and Development, as project manager, is overseeing design and construction. The new facility, designed by Vision III Architects of Providence, is being constructed by ADS Construction of East Providence. Seventy-five percent of the cost of the $810,000 project is funded by the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration program, with the remainder from Rhode Island Trout Conservation Stamp receipts. The state's hatcheries are an integral part of the Rhode Island recreational fishing experience, and the new hatch house at Lafayette will provide DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife with the opportunity to expand the trout stocking program and provide the public with on-site educational opportunities. Currently, more than 70,000 two-year old brook, brown, and rainbow trout with an average individual weight of about one pound are stocked in more than 80 ponds and streams every year for opening day of the fishing season. More than 25,000 recreational fishing licenses are issued to Rhode Island residents every year by DEM, as well as close to 17,000 trout stamps, and more than 20,000 anglers turn out for opening day. An additional 60,000 to 90,000 trout are stocked in the state's freshwaters throughout the fishing season. Trout for stocking are also raised at the Perryville Hatchery (25,000 to 30,000) and the Carolina Hatchery (45,000 to 60,000), and the Arcadia Hatchery is a research facility, where salmon and bass are currently under study. -30- |
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