Warm Springs Fish Technology Center provides leadership in the science-based management of aquatic resources through the development of new concepts, strategies, technologies, and techniques to solve problems and develop innovative efficiencies for hatchery operations and for aquatic resources conservation. The Warm Springs FTC primarily services the South Atlantic-Gulf and Mississippi Basin regions but also works throughout the entire country.

What We Do

The Fish Technology Center was established to improve and enhance management effectiveness by providing consolidated technical operational support to Regional fisheries operations, fish culture technical development, and the Service’s technical assistance to the emerging private aquaculture industry. The Fish Technology Center is comprised of a Cryopreservation Laboratory and the National Fish Strain Registry in Warm Springs, Georgia, and a Conservation Genetics Laboratory located at Auburn University.

Services
Adult Grass carp
National Triploid Grass Carp Inspection and Certification Program

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers a triploid grass carp inspection service for natural resource agencies in the United States and in other countries, to help States and others protect their aquatic habitats. The inspection program is to provide assurance to these agencies, and others...

Service
Invasive and Injurious Species

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
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,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

Warm Springs Fish Technology Center is working with federal, state, and agency partners to provide management support of inter-jurisdictional coastal and riverine fishes, such as Robust Redhorse, Lake Sturgeon, Pallid Sturgeon, and Brook Trout. The Conservation Genetics Lab is implementing research projects on numerous freshwater mussels, and threatened and endangered species such as the Spotfin Chub and the Round Rocksnail. The Cryopreservation Lab works on the collection, storage, and cryopreservation of sperm to provide a management tool for conserving genetic resources to enhance fisheries programs and reverse the population decline of threatened and endangered fishes. Currently, the Cryopreservation Lab is working with Pallid Sturgeon, Apache Trout, Gila Trout, and numerous aquatic species and freshwater mussels.

Projects and Research

Conservation Genetics

Research in the lab addresses conservation issues pertaining to brood stock management, systematics of imperiled aquatic organisms, and population genetics for species of concern or management interest in the southeast. We also study the evolution of aquatic animals using genomic tools. The lab provides technical coordination for numerous southeastern aquatic species, focusing on fishes and mollusks.

Aquatic Species Restoration

Sixty-two percent of all US fish species, 91 percent of all US mussels and more than two thirds of all North American species and sub-species of crayfish are found in the Southeast United States.  The Fish Tech Center conducts research on crayfish and amphibians to develop and improve on culture programs.

Brook trout fry waiting to be measured
Image Details
National Fish Strain Registry

The National Fish Strain Registry database is a broad collaborative program that provides access to data and information on our nation’s aquatic resources. The database houses information on life history, genetics, reproduction, and behavior of wild populations and domestic fish strains throughout the United States. The database is available for use by public and private producers as well as...

National Fish Strain Registry
holding a white fish captured
Image Details
Cryopreservation Lab
The Cryopreservation Lab at Warm Springs Fish Technology Center develops cryopreservation techniques to support fisheries conservation across the Service and for our partners.  

Cryopreservation is a process in which a living cell can be frozen, stored, thawed, and  remain viable for future growth.  The cryopreservation lab at Warm Springs Fish Technology Center focuses...

Cryopreservation Lab

Latest News

Big Black rocksnails in water
Science and Technology
Extinct Mississippi snail rediscovered: landowner partnerships key to conservation success
Scientists found a living population of an assumed extinct Mississippi freshwater snail, the Big Black rocksnail, according to a study published in Biodiversity and Conservation, March 25, 2024.
Uwharries Elktoe Inner Shell
Science and Technology
A New Freshwater Mussel Species - Meet Uwharries Elktoe
A team of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and North Carolina Natural Resources Commission biologists recently discovered and described a new species of freshwater mussel.
A jet black, scaly snake with a burnt orange colored face curled up in some grass
Endangered Species Act
Fighting for Endangered Species - Just Below the Surface
Fifty years ago, facing the catastrophic loss of species across the country, the nation passed a landmark law which mobilized a generation of conservation. The Endangered Species Act was a collective commitment to protect and preserve biodiversity across the globe – for all creatures great and...
Biologists in the process of weighing Lake Sturgeon and recording weight.
Science and Technology
USFWS Region 4 Hatchery Staff Work Together to Monitor Lake Sturgeon Released in the Tennessee River
What happens to hatchery-raised Lake Sturgeon after release in the Tennessee River?
View All News

Get Involved

Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. Warm Springs Fish Technology Center provides many opportunities for you to help your community and fish and wildlife by doing what you love.

Warm Springs Fish Technology Center partner with volunteers, youth groups, landowners, neighbors and residents of both urban and rural communities to make a lasting difference. There are opportunities for everyone to get involved!

Location and Contact Information