Congress authorized the creation of the North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery in September, 1950, for the purpose of raising freshwater fish and stocking the rivers and lakes of New England states. Our hatchery has been raising both game and non-game species, and providing recreational opportunities to the nation's anglers. Currently, we raise American shad and eastern brook trout from Atlantic coastal rivers. 

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery is a 235-acre U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service facility located in eastern Massachusetts that plays a key role in the Service's efforts to protect and restore declining and imperiled populations of migratory fish and other aquatic species native to New England. 

      What We Do

      The North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery works to restore American shad and brook trout of the Atlantic coast. Our hatchery also supplies hatchery-raised fish to state partners for local recreational fishing programs and events.

      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

      Projects and Research

      Microscopic view of a shad fry. The frame of the picture is black, with an illuminated circle in the middle. In that circle shows two dark eyes, spine, and partially absorbed yolk sac. The shad fry is translucent.
      Image Details
      American shad production at the North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery

      American shad propagation began in 2006 at the hatchery and in 2008, produced its first volitional spawned Shad for the Charles River in Boston. In 2010, Shad production began for the Pawcatuck River. The Pawtuxet River was added to the propagation efforts in 2012. In 2022, the hatchery began producing larval American Shad for the Taunton River.  

       

      American shad production at the North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery