Ennis National Fish Hatchery is the largest facility in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Broodstock Program. It is one of only two rainbow trout broodstock hatcheries in the National Fish Hatchery System. The hatchery currently raise seven different strains of rainbow trout.

Visit Us

Ennis hatchery view
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Ennis National Fish Hatchery is in Madison County, 12 miles southwest of Ennis, Montana, along the northeastern foothills of the Gravelly Range. The visitor center, raceway, picnic tables, restrooms, and drinking fountains are accessible to people with disabilities. Contact Ennis NFH at (406) 682-4847 for additional information.

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      The Ennis National Fish Hatchery was authorized by Congress in May 1930 and started fish culture operations in July 1933. Ennis National Fish Hatchery is different from other hatcheries. Most hatcheries produce fish of various sizes and then stock these fish in public lakes and streams, providing anglers with hours of fishing fun. Ennis, however, operates as a  broodstock broodstock
      The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).

      Learn more about broodstock        hatchery specializing in rearing fish to adult size, then taking the eggs from those fish, incubating them, and shipping them to production hatcheries.

      What We Do

      The hatchery produces 350,000 fingerling rainbow trout for the state of Montana which are stocked in Montana lakes and reservoirs. After 3 or 4 years,  broodstock broodstock
      The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).

      Learn more about broodstock        (the adult fish that provide eggs) are “retired” and stocked into public waters in Montana's urban and youth programs.

      Services
      Small orange fish eggs on a white background.
      National Broodstock Program’s Egg Distribution Service

      The National Broodstock Program was established in 1970 to support healthy sustainable fisheries in waterways across the country. Every year the National Broodstock Program provides about 60 million fish eggs that are hatched and raised by our partners to meet their conservation and management...

      Service
      Fish Stocking

      Our Organization

      A man is fishing in a boat with three young girls. The kids are excitedly pulling a fish out of the water.
      The Fish and Aquatic Conservation programs work together to deliver resilient habitats, healthy fish, connected people, and strong partnerships. From habitat restoration to aquatic invasive species prevention, captive breeding to population assessment and monitoring, our programs are driven by the...
      Program
      Falls Church,VA
      Orange fish eggs on a white background.
      The National Fish Hatchery System raises millions of fish and aquatic wildlife to improve sustainable recreational fishing, support fisheries that have been impacted by a federal dam, recover federally listed threatened or endangered species, fulfill our Tribal Trust responsibilities, and prevent...
      Program

      Our Species

      Seven different strains of rainbow trout  broodstock broodstock
      The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).

      Learn more about broodstock        are cultivated at Ennis National Fish Hatchery. The strains are named for the locations from which they came. 

      • McConaughy (Nebraska) 

      • Eagle Lake (California) 

      • Shasta (California) 

      • Erwin/Arlee Cross (Tennessee) 

      • Fish Lake (Utah) 

      • Arlee (Montana) 

      • Harrison Lake (Montana)