If you like fish, this is the place to be. The Genoa Fish Hatchery was created in 1931, and was completed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. The hatchery raises over ten species of fish, such as walleye, bass species, and trout species. Not only do they raise fish, they raise freshwater mussels, dragonflies, and salamanders. The hatchery is home to the largest mussel culture recovery program in North America, and has many endangered species. The Genoa Fish Hatchery exports fish, mussels, and dragonflies across the United States. The beautiful interpretative center, built in 2018, has many exhibits that are fascinating to look at. Visitors can get a close look at fish, learn about fish populations, and learn about the mussel industry history in Wisconsin.
We visited the hatchery in April for a job shadow. Our first stop was off the Mississippi river. We watched as workers in boats pulled up the nets that had been places earlier. They were specifically looking for walleye. The crew pulled up the fish, and placed them in a large cooler. The cooler then got loaded into the back of a pickup truck, which then drove to another location off the river, that was actually on someone else's property. They loan their dock to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and off the dock were big holding containers in the water. We then were tasked with catching the fish in the containers and putting them in the coolers as well. This was a lot harder than it looked. The net was hard to move around in the water, and the container was deep. I only pulled up a single crappie.
After we drove back to the main center and received a tour, we went down to a big building to help sort fish. The fish were in large open containers, about as big as four or five bathtubs put together. We then scooped a net of fish, and sorted the species. Walleye went on the other side of the tank, bass went in one bucket, and all other species went in another bucket. This was fun but a bit chaotic, as sometimes the fish would slip out of your hand and fall to the ground. No fish were harmed in this activity.
After visiting the Genoa Fish Hatchery, I was wondering why I had never visited before. With a new visitor center, amazing talks from the staff, and hands-on activities, the hatchery was a wealth of information. They also have a Youth Conservation Corps and a volunteer program. For more information, visit https://www.fws.gov/fish-hatchery/genoa/get-involved .
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