Senecaville

Fish

Hatchery

The Senecaville Fish Hatchery is located in the rolling hill country of east-central Ohio. The hatchery is located just downstream from the dam that forms Seneca Lake. This location is ideal for a fish hatchery because of the year-round water supply and protection from flooding.

The hatchery was constructed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and consisted of 11 ponds on a 71-acre site. An additional 48 acres was added in 1963. The hatchery was enlarged and upgraded in 1967, 1980, and again in 1993. Originally operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the hatchery was transferred to the Ohio Division of Wildlife in 1987.

The present facility includes 37 ponds ranging in size from .34 to 1.6 acres each with a total water area of 37 acres. Seneca Lake, which has excellent water quality, supplies the hatchery with water through two 12-inch pipelines under the dam. These lines provide a maximum flow of 2000 gallons per minute.

The current fish production at Senecaville consists of walleye, saugeye (male walleye x female sauger ), striped bass, hybrid striped bass (male striped bass x female white bass ), and channel catfish. Approximately 3-5 million fish are produced here annually. All fish produced here are stocked into public fishing waters around the state.

<Picture>

Production of walleye and saugeye begins in March with egg collections from the local lakes where walleye populations do not successfully reproduce. The eggs are placed in incubating jars and hatch in 20 to 30 days. The fry are held in indoor tanks until they absorb their yolk sacs and are ready to begin feeding. At this time they are placed into outdoor rearing ponds which are fertilized to promote an abundance of zooplankton for the fish to eat. In 30 to 40 days the "fingerlings" are 11/2 to 2 inches in length. The ponds are then drained, and all fish are taken into a fish hauling truck and transported to preselected lakes and streams throughout the state.

Striped bass and hybrid striped bass fry eggs are obtained in early May, and from this point these fish are produced in much the same way as the walleye and saugeye. The hybrid fingerlings are ready for stocking by late June. The striped bass fingerlings are kept at the hatchery and conditioned to accept a formulated diet. These fish are then placed back into rearing ponds. When they have grown to 8 inches they are stocked in Seneca Lake.

Channel catfish production starts in June and July with egg collections from breeders kept at the hatchery. The fish deposit their eggs in submerged 10-gallon milk cans. To help insure hatchability, the eggs are brought indoors for incubating where they hatch in 6 to 10 days. The young fish are then placed into ponds and fed a formulated diet until they are 15 months old. At this time the catfish will be 10- to 14- inch long "yearlings." The ponds are then drained and the catfish are stocked into public fishing waters where there is no natural reproduction of channel catfish.

The hatchery is open to visitors from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will accommodate tour groups with advanced reservations. Additional information can be obtained by calling 614/685-5541 or writing: Senecaville Fish Hatchery, 57199 Seneca Dam Road, Senecaville, Ohio 43780-9697.