NYS DEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery

Built in 1980, the Salmon River Fish Hatchery specializes in raising Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and brown trout. The Hatchery was constructed to revive and enhance the Great Lakes fishery and now provides most of the fish for the multi-million-dollar Lake Ontario salmon fishery. Each year this hatchery stocks over 1.4 million Chinook salmon fingerlings (young fish 3-5 inches long), 155,000 coho fall fingerlings (3-5 inches), 90,000 coho salmon yearlings (a fish between one and two years old), and 750,000 steelhead yearlings. Located in Altmar, NY, the Salmon River Fish Hatchery supplies fish for more than 100 public waters including Lake Ontario. Each year, the hatchery stocks approximately 3.5 million trout and salmon, and helps with local warm water fish stockings. The visitor center is open daily (Monday-Sunday), 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and the outdoor viewing decks around the fish ladder are open until dusk. It is open for the public seasonally, April thru November.