DWR completes new facility at Mantua Fish Hatchery to increase, improve egg production

Photo: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Mantua Fish Hatchery has completed construction on a new facility designed to improve efficiency and increase trout egg production for Utah Division of Wildlife Resources hatcheries that stock fish across the state.

Originally built in 1910 by the Maple Creek Trout and Resort, the DWR purchased the hatchery in 1970. In 1975 the agency constructed a recirculating aquaculture system to raise native Bear Lake cutthroat trout. However, the cold water temperatures at the site made it better suited for trout egg production rather than raising fish.

The hatchery shifted its focus to egg production in 2014, but aging infrastructure and failing equipment necessitated additional updates.

“Because parts of the hatchery were more than 50 years old, we needed an updated facility with new equipment to help streamline the process of egg production at this specialty hatchery,” Mantua Fish Hatchery Manager Jared Smith said. “The Mantua Fish Hatchery produces roughly 6 million trout eggs a year, about 30% of the total trout stocked in Utah. So in 2022, we began construction on a new building to increase efficiency.”

The updated facility includes:

• Barriers to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species
• A degassing tower to remove high concentrations of gases from groundwater
• New egg production facilities
• A new disinfection station for equipment
• A new truck filling station to stock brood stock fish

Most of the eggs produced at the hatchery are for Bear Lake cutthroat trout and rainbow trout, Smith said. Eggs and milt (fish sperm) are collected from full-size brood stock fish at the hatchery and combined into fertilized eggs. The eggs remain at the facility for about four weeks before being transferred to another DWR hatchery, where they are raised to full size and eventually stocked in rivers and lakes across Utah.

“We transport eggs rather than full-grown fish to other hatcheries because eggs pose a much lower risk for disease,” Smith said.

Construction on the hatchery’s new egg facility was completed in September 2024, with the final equipment installed and trout egg production underway.

“Stocking fish replenishes populations in popular recreational areas and improves quality of life for residents,” DWR Fish Culture Coordinator Roger Mellenthin said. “Hatcheries and fish production also help preserve native fish species like the Bear Lake cutthroat trout. This new egg facility will greatly contribute to trout production in Utah.”