Murray Spring Fish Hatchery
The Murray Spring Fish Hatchery is located ten miles outside of Eureka and is a very interesting attraction as well as a very useful facility to have in this part of the county. The hatchery was originally built in 1978 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to try to compensate for the river habitat lost when the Libby Dam project was built and Lake Koocanusa was established. The main mission for Murray Springs is to provide fish for Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai drainage and other waters in northwest Montana. And they do this very well!
Last year they released approximately 200,000 fish. The hatchery is co-managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Three full-time staff work there maintaining the facilities and caring for the fish. The primary types of fish reared at the hatchery include Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Rainbow Trout. The hatchery site consists of the hatchery and spawn buildings, outside brood and rearing raceways, a pump house, head tank tower, waste treatment pond, isolation and U.V. facility and three residences for staff. The hatchery is open from 8:00am to 4:00pm daily for visitors. It is possible to stop by and learn not only how the hatchery operates but a lot about fish as well. For larger groups, it is recommended to schedule a tour in advance with hatchery staff. This is definitely a place you want to take the kids as it is interesting to see the facilities and also amazing to see so many fish in one place.
For More Information
Website: Murray Spring Fish Hatchery
About the Author: Rita Collins. I am a believer in the power of community and for now I call the Tobacco Valley home. I have lived in nine states and three counties and this community here amazes me - how people reach out to neighbors and even travelers. I've never lived in a place that demonstrates people caring for each other so well. And I've never lived in a place that has such a high percentage of talented musicians and artists. I work with the the Sunburst Community Service Foundation, a nonprofit that began in Eureka twenty years ago and now serves numerous communities in western Montana. And I just started a new business, St. Rita's Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary. I never could have imagined life being this exciting in my sixth decade.
