Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery plays a key role in providing quality fishing opportunities throughout the Great Plains Region and in restoring the endangered pallid sturgeon in its northern range.

Visit Us

Garrison Dam Visitor Center
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Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery provides many exciting visitor opportunities, and contributes to local communities. Waterfowl, fish and a variety of birds and mammals can be viewed in their natural surroundings year-around. 

Open to the public, the hatchery welcomes visitors for a close-up view of the fish production process. With over 10,000 visitors annually, the dedicated staff and volunteers at the hatchery are happy to answer any questions while you enjoy a hatchery tour. A visitor center at the hatchery complete with five 400 gallon aquariums will give you the pleasure of viewing the fishes of North Dakota in their environment.

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      This Federal hatchery provides in excess of 10 million native fish annually for restoration stockings or balancing fish populations in hundreds of waters.

      Tours

      Group tours are available year-around with prior reservations  for our accessible facility. For reservations call 701-654-7451 and we would be happy to schedule a tour for you. The tour takes about an hour and the admission is free.

      What We Do

      Garrison Dam tank room
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      Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery produces in excess of 25 tons of trout and salmon annually for stocking into North Dakota waters. State game and fish agencies in several states such as North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada do not operate hatcheries for cool water fish species such as walleye and pike, and rely on the National Fish Hatchery System to produce these species. In some years, South Dakota and Montana are also provided fish or eggs to cover their fish requests.

      Our Organization

      Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
      The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
      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

      Native species like walleye, northern pike, pallid sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon and non-native fishes such as chinook salmon, and brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout, are raised at Garrison Dam NFH annually, each for specific stocking purposes.

      Other fish species that are occasionally produced here at Garrison Dam NFH include paddlefish, yellow perch, sauger, burbot, muskellunge, crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and bluegill.