There's Something Fishy Going On at the Oden State Fish Hatchery

June 24, 2016

The Oden State Fish Hatchery does a lot of good work for northern Michigan. Not only is it a major rearing facility for brown and rainbow trout, it also helps teach people about the lake and rivers in their own backyard through the awareness and educational components made available at the hatchery’s on-site visitor center. Haven’t yet been? Here’s what to know before you go:

The original hatchery in Alanson was established in 1921, and it operated until 2002, when it was replaced by a more modern complex in the same location. This allowed for improvements in how the fish are reared and also made the property more welcoming to visitors. “The hatchery was where the stream is now,” explained Dan Sampson, biologist and natural resource manager of the facility. “We moved it farther back on the property and added an aquifer so that we have better control over what is in the water.”

WATER WORLD

The main mission of the hatchery is to raise trout from egg to fully grown fish, which involves a complex system of five buildings and five wells that house the fish and protect them from predators. The whole process starts when the hatchery brings in eggs found in the wild or shared from a cooperating fish hatchery. After the eggs pass a “fish health test,” they incubate right in the nursery. After one month, each growing fish develops eyes that can be seen through its egg wall. Soon, they’ll move on to the next stage of the process: hatching.

“The trout start as just a little squiggle of fish with a small tail and eyes, floating on a yolk sac,” Sampson said. Without a mouth or fins, they stay floating in the water, using the yolk as a food source. Once the trout become “fry” — the equivalent of fish toddlers — they’re removed from the incubator and put into the hatchery’s nursery tanks, where they’re fed a powdery food made of fish and poultry meal. The fish are then vaccinated and continue to be fed and, at three months old, they’re put out on big water-filled canals called production raceways. At that point, the fish are considered ready for stocking and will be shipped from Oden to many of Michigan’s public lakes.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKS

The point of stocking fish is to help supply and promote sport fishing, which Sampson explained is a dual-purpose pursuit. “Sport fishing gives both tourists and local people recreational opportunities and can also help supply people with food that they will be able to acquire on their own,” he said.

Being environmentally conscious is another aim of the Oden Hatchery; it works to keep waste, which includes leftover fish food, droppings, phosphorus and more, out of Michigan’s lakes system. “We have a state-of-the-art effluent system to remove all of that,” Sampson confirmed.

SEASONAL FUN

Visitors can see and learn about many of the hatchery’s efforts and processes at the Michigan Fisheries Visitor Center — a replica of an early fish-transportation railcar called The Wolverine — and on-site walking trails and guided tours.

“The interior of the visitor center train car is set up like it would have been in the 1920s, back when they actually used it to transport fish,” Sampson explained. “Once you walk through the railcar and past the swamp, you’ll see fish in the chamber. Those are actually wild fish just hanging out in their natural environment.”

The chamber is a thick transparent wall that gives a unique view directly into the trout pond, so visitors can see what’s happening underwater. “You’ll usually see trout,” Sampson said. “But in the spring there are also white sucker fish, muskrat, and sculpin, a small, bottom-dwelling fish. Those hide in the gravel, so you really have to look to see them.”

You can walk the trails on your own, or take one of the tours offered by the hatchery; either way, you’ll always be able to find Sampson or another friendly face to answer any of your questions about this unique facility. “We’re open every day, all year, taking care of the fish,” Sampson said.

The Oden State Fish Hatchery is located on US-31, across from Crooked Lake, in Alanson. 231-348-0998. Open 7:30am–4pm Mon.–Fri., 8–4pm Sat. and Sun. Tours offered daily in the summer; off-season by reservation only. Free admission. For more information, visit the Department of Natural Resources at michigan. gov/dnr