Blending Traditional Fish Culture with Non-Traditional Species and Methods at Genoa NFH

Genoa NFH was established over 80 years ago by the Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Act.  The mission of the hatchery has changed from providing sport fish for area waters to a conservation hatchery concerned with recovery of endangered aquatic species.    The hatchery works with over 35 aquatic species including fish, freshwater mussels, salamanders and now an endangered dragonfly.  These programs have required different approaches to methods and equipment used in fish culture.  Genoa has constructed several mobile rearing units, one for the mussel program, two for the sturgeon program and will begin construction in 2015 on a unit for the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly.  These mobile units allow the station to work in the native environments of the different species, using source water from the natal rivers of lake sturgeon or the nutrient rich water of the Mississippi River for the mussels.  The design of the mobile units also allows the hatchery to bring wild species on station without compromising the disease status by using UV disinfection on both the incoming and effluent water.  These units can be deployed at the hatchery to quarantine potential mussel host fish, future brood fish as well as the new dragonfly species.