Digging for Fish: Renovating Wild Rose Hatchery for the Future

Anglers and local residents joined Gov. Jim Doyle and DNR Secretary Matt Frank in celebrating new trout and salmon facilities at Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery. The trout and salmon the hatchery produces are especially vital to Lake Michigan's fishery, which attracts more than a quarter million anglers a year, generates $420 million in economic benefits, and supports 5,000 jobs.

A Grand Opening Ceremony was held on August 18, 2008 celebrating the completion of this first phase.

The first $15.9 million phase of construction which began in 2006 and was completed in mid-2008, involved the construction of all new coldwater facilities and a new visitors center.

During summer 2008, construction began on new coolwater production facilities and will include 14 modern rearing ponds for raising pike, sturgeon, walleye and musky. Phase II is expected to reach completion in August 2009, allowing the new hatchery to start raising coolwater fish for stocking in 2010.

A third phase, scheduled to begin in 2010 will restore the wetlands, springs and headwaters of the stream that was damaged when the hatchery was first built more than 100 years ago.

Photographic Construction Tour

Since before construction began and continuing through each phase, we are documenting the transformation at Wild Rose. Below is the photographic tour of the construction and renovation taking place at Wild Rose.

Last Revised: Tuesday December 01 2009