The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) invested several hundred thousand dollars on the project, including pressure washing and disinfecting 6,000 linear feet of fish rearing ponds and associated plumbing, coating all fish rearing surfaces with Food and Drug Administration-approved epoxy coating to improve fish culture conditions and installing new manifolds for the water recirculation loop to improve efficiency.

The modernization of the Mojave Hatchery will greatly benefit Southern California trout anglers. Fish production at Mojave River Hatchery has already resumed and healthy juvenile fish have been brought in from other CDFW hatcheries for additional growth at the renovated facility. The first batch of catchable-sized fish from Mojave Hatchery are anticipated in late February, with others to follow.

Millions of fertile trout eggs are also being shipped to Mojave for incubation and rearing into catchable fish for stocking later in 2018, and CDFW is continuing to stock catchable fish in Southern California from sister hatcheries farther north.

The last major renovations to Mojave River Hatchery took place more than 45 years ago.

In addition to the raceway renovation and improvements, contractors upgraded the plumbing from the hatchery building, refurbished the well pump motors, and excavated the two settling ponds and installed new, UV-resistant rubber lining.

Mojave River Hatchery is one of 13 state-run inland trout hatcheries that provide millions of additional trout fishing opportunities each year for California’s angling public.