Show AV Fish Hatchery Is Top Attraction Key to Angling Season Thrills elf x 4 q it k d q 4 r AAI i x r 1 t i ii J Jj JJ j J f f t I f 4 fi t if i J EXCITING SIGH This SIGHT T 1 kind of sight g n never Ii fails to get g lIb fish bi hatchery b ery visitors excited ted This very verylh lh is shortly part Uy of f Staff the photos o legal size trout ont that b wU will 0 be e planted in lc local lakes an and d streams a yr A tz r r r s JUMP Trout FALLS in the rearing ponds at Whiterocks fish hatchery swim against the current and leap the falls Immediately left of the concrete partition one trout can be a third of the way up the falls and the head of another appears in the spray G t s j om If 1 i 1 t i f e 1 MILKING FISH Max North left leU superintendent of willbe fish hatchery strips a female of eggs that will be hatched in special trays inside the hatchery tf S X t I a Cat REARING This PONDS is an overall picture of the con con- crate rearing ponds at fish hatchery The pic lures were taken Thursday of last week in a rain and snowstorm How about a fishing hole with plump trout that cant can't get away Fishermans Fisherman's dream Certainly CertaInly Well at least it can be partially fulfilled by a visit to Whiterocks fish hatchery where they can be seen even if they cant can't be bC fIshed for Very often during the summer months from 40 to 60 cars may be seen parked around the hatchery while indoor excited visitors tour the th in- in in door hatching facilities and outdoor rearing ponds NOT ONLY IS the local hatchery a top attraction for visitors but its success is the key to n a successful angling season In this area of the Uintah Basin Dasin Max North Is hatchery sup sup- superintendent and is assisted by Clinton Neilson These are the only two time full per p r- r stuns sons to carry Ute the brunt of a tremendously workload heavy work work- load with just the assIstance of one other man time part In Inthe inthe the summer The fish cycle life begins when male trout are captured ed cd and sperm is milked into in- in into to a pall pail by a pressure and downward motion on the belly of the fish Then fe- fe females females males are stripped in the same manner and the eggs mingle with the sperm and andare andare are fertilized AFTER THIS process the fish are released unharmed back into the rearing ponds Each female supplies about green eggs The eggs are then taken to indoor hatching boxes They may be handled the same sam day they are taken but thereafter enter a tender period when wIlen handling would kill kUl them Handling becomes safe when the eggs eye up That Is to say when the eyes of the fish appear on the egg At that time the Ule dead eggs are removed an important operation as Ule to dead eggs will fungus and destroy living eggs MR NORTH SAID that from the eye stage hatching is as high as 95 successful for rainbow The native Mon Mon- Montana tana SUccess ratio is less as these fish are arc more ble to disease and harder to raise The fish then enter the food sac fry stage At this point a tiny body and tall tail emerge from the egg but the fish is a still dormant and lives off the egg This stage lasts for about three weeks at Whiterocks and elsewhere depends on the temperature of the water the warmer wanner the water the faster the pro pro- process process cess At the local hatchery when 5 of the fry come came to the surface and start tOi to swim feeding Is started The tiny fry are led fed every hour and consume 5 of their body bodyweight bodyweight weight in food per day ONE FRY TROUGH con con- contains tams an automatic feeder in- in invented invented vented by Mr North himself which he plans to patent This doesn't spook the fish and make them run runaway runaway away from flom the food as will happen when they are fed by hand All the fish are on dry feed which consists of animal protein fish meal liver meal blood meal and yeast The side of one building is stack stack- stacked stacked ed to the ceiling with sacks of this manufactured feed About fingerling rainbowS are on feed in addi- addi lion tion addition to the leg ts The larger fish consume consumer a total of pounds of food per day Fry are small fish on feed Fingerlings are three to four inches long or the size of a ringer linger and hatcheries are the only ones with natives held over for spawning as these hatcher tea ics have tile the cold water need ed cd offish for rearing this species of fish Mr North NorO in n every stage of development preserved ved In vials Two particular particular- ly particularly interesting samples are Continued on page 8 3 hatchery Continued from page 1 twins with two fish lIsh attached to the tho same egg and the other has lus a bullhead II a natural enemy of fry with a young fry In his mouth Whiterocks hatchery also raised mackinaw t two o Years y ars arsago ago which were planted In fish lake Under Ideal condi condi- conditions mackinaw can grow to toa a weight of 30 pounds MR NORTH SAID that all the clean and clear will wUl be planted plant d b before fore the opening da day of the fishing will wUl be planted when high highwater highwater water goes down The Whiterocks hatchery supplies fish for lor all alI Uintah County Daggett County and Duchesne County waters east cast of Rock Ro Creek The are ready rendy for lor planting which will get underway In seven to ten days Actually any size fish may b be taken but are arc considered to be those about seven even Inches InellE's long EASTERN BROOKS are being saved for lor the High and airplane plants should get underway about August 1 A freak has shown up at atthe atthe the hatch hatchery ry In th the shape of ofa ofa a blue rainbow about ten inches long which Mr North said he will wUl try to cross The Basin Is a hard place to raise fish ish on account of the severe weather Mr North explained lie He said that In the Ule winter the rear rear- rearing ing ponds were covered with steam due to the fact that the outsIde temperature was 29 below zero and water temper temper- temperature was 43 degrees which created steam WE GET A LOT of visit visit- visitors ors especially during Satur Satur- Saturday day and Sunday Mr North reported lie He Is anxious for lor forthe the public to know what Is going on at the hatchery and everyone Is Invited to drop in at any time as no appoint appoint- appointments ments are arc necessary The hatchery Is located 20 miles mUes north of Roosevelt To get there from Vernal a vis would follow the Maeser road through Lapoint to Whiterocks and the hatchery Is 21 miles north of White rocks |