by Steven J. Wamback

Created on: April 09, 2007   Last Updated: May 22, 2007

In 2006, I had the honor and the pleasure of working as a seasonal fisheries biologist for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and I would like to share with you some of the exciting and wonderful things I learned about our Nation's fish hatcheries, The National Fish Hatchery System, and the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery.

Fish hatcheries serve a number of important purposes in our society, including but not limited to environmental, ecological, conservational, restorational, recreational, and economic functions.

These are YOUR hatcheries, your tax dollars at work, and... YOUR fish!

The Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery is operated by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) as part of the National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS), which consists of 70 National Fish Hatcheries, 7 Fish Technology Centers, 9 Fish Health Centers, and 64 Wildlife Management Assistance Offices, and the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery.

The Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery is located approximately 40 miles northeast of Vernal in the northeast corner of the State of Utah near the Colorado border. One of the hatchery's neighbors is Dinosaur National Monument. Backcountry Rangers from the US National Park Service patrol Jones Hole Creek. The hatchery serves as a trailhead and respite for visitors to Dinosaur National Monument as well as fishing access for anglers along Jones Hole Creek.

Hatchery staff are always pleased to guide visitors through the hatchery grounds and facilities as well as to provide water, parking, and rest facilities to our visitors, passing anglers, and weary hikers. Although overnight camping is not permitted on hatchery grounds, information about camping and river use permits for Dinosaur National Monument can be obtained at Dinosaur National Monument Visitors Center near Jenson, Utah or the US National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/dino.

Having driven the 40 miles of scenic, winding, mountain and canyon roads leading down into Jones Hole, one of the first questions that hatchery visitors might ask upon arriving is, "Why is the hatchery located here at such a remote and distant location?" Quite simply, the answer is Water. The unique and fascinating plumbing system at the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery is fed by the pure and natural waters of Jones Hole Springs which are the source of Jones Hole Creek and are the hatchery's main water supply.

These springs are capable of delivering up to 15,000 gallons per minute (gpm) of pure

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