Fast Facts: Fish Hatcheries

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) manages 14 trout and 10 salmon/steelhead hatcheries between Southern California and the California-Oregon border. A DFW report stated the department would produce about 1.6 million pounds of fish in 2015. California fish hatcheries produced about 1.75 million pounds of salmon and trout, by comparison, in Fiscal Year 1959-60.

Here are some highlights of California’s early history with fisheries and hatcheries:

1850 California becomes a state
1851 State legislature passes law regulating oysters and oyster beds
1861 First state laws to protect trout were enacted
1870 State legislature passes law to restore and preserve fish in California waters
1878 California Fish Commission granted jurisdiction over fish and game
1913 Angling license required for anglers age 18 and older
1933 Fish and Game Code established by state legislature
1937 Fish and Game Commission expanded from 3 to 5 members

Sources: DFW, “A History of California’s Fish Hatcheries, 1870-1960” by Earl Leitritz