Coleman National Fish Hatchery

Coleman National Fish Hatchery For official information visit: https://www.fws.gov/fish-hatchery/coleman Directional signs to the Hatchery are along the route.

Directions to the hatchery:
From Interstate 5 go east on Deschutes Road, turn right on Balls Ferry Road, turn left on Ash Creek Road, continue over the Sacramento River bridge, then turn right on Gover Road and then left on Coleman Fish Hatchery Road; the Hatchery is at the end of the road.

05/29/2026

It's Fry-day! 🐟

We’re o‑fish‑ally swimming into the weekend with these late-fall Chinook fry! These little fin‑tastic wigglers may be small now, but they’re already making quite the splash.

They'll spend the next several months at the hatchery, building size and strength before being released next winter.

On Tuesdays, fish are collected at Keswick Dam and transported to Livingston Stone NFH. Once they arrive, the hatchery t...
05/19/2026

On Tuesdays, fish are collected at Keswick Dam and transported to Livingston Stone NFH. Once they arrive, the hatchery team sorts through them to identify winter‑run Chinook salmon for spawning, returning any additional fish to the river.

Staff actually climb into the truck’s holding tank to carefully assess each fish. A small genetic sample is taken from the tail to confirm that any fish kept for spawning are truly winter‑run Chinook.

Fish selected for spawning are gently moved into a holding tank, while those not selected remain in the truck for release back into the river.

Additionally, staff from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (seen on the left side of this photo) help out on trapping days. They monitor any steelhead that are captured and collect both scale and genetic samples from them.

Photo Credit: Sarah Austing/USFWS

05/08/2026

Not a snake. Not an eel.

This is a Pacific lamprey — an ancient native fish found in the Sacramento River system. Pacific lamprey have existed for millions of years and are an important part of California’s river ecosystems.

Their unique suction-cup mouth helps them navigate rivers and attach to rocks in fast-moving water.

Have you ever seen a lamprey in the wild?

Did you know? 🐟✨Chinook salmon are incredible travelers, not just through rivers, but through different types of water!A...
05/06/2026

Did you know? 🐟✨

Chinook salmon are incredible travelers, not just through rivers, but through different types of water!

As young salmon head toward the ocean, they go through a transformation called smoltification, which lets their bodies shift from freshwater mode to saltwater mode. When it’s time to come home and spawn, they switch right back again.

Our crew at Livingston Stone NFH — our sister hatchery located at the base of Shasta Dam — has been hard at work!From Fe...
04/17/2026

Our crew at Livingston Stone NFH — our sister hatchery located at the base of Shasta Dam — has been hard at work!

From February through June, the team collects winter‑run Chinook salmon from the fish trap at Keswick Dam. Each week, they empty the trap and transport the fish to Livingston Stone NFH, where they sort through the captured salmon.

Winter‑run Chinook selected as broodstock are retained for future spawning, while any fish not needed are returned to the Sacramento River.

Following the release of the fall Chinook salmon, what comes next? Does the hatchery's work slow down? Nope, there is st...
04/15/2026

Following the release of the fall Chinook salmon, what comes next? Does the hatchery's work slow down? Nope, there is still significant work ahead.

There are roughly 1.6 million juvenile fish (late-fall Chinook salmon and steelhead) on site that will remain here until next winter and still need care.

Plus, maintenance is necessary to fix equipment that was either used or broken during the incubation and rearing phase of fall Chinook salmon. These repairs will be undertaken over the next few months to ensure readiness for the next spawning season in October.

The cyclical nature of hatchery operations means there is always something that needs attention.

This week, approximately 3.5 million fall Chinook salmon are being released from the hatchery, with roughly three millio...
04/08/2026

This week, approximately 3.5 million fall Chinook salmon are being released from the hatchery, with roughly three million being released into Battle Creek and 400,000 into the Sacramento River at Tisdale.

This release coincides with a pulse flow from Shasta Dam to increase flows on the Sacramento River to help these fish move downstream.

The net pen project for 2026 is wrapping up this week.For the last several weeks fish from Coleman NFH have been raised ...
03/26/2026

The net pen project for 2026 is wrapping up this week.

For the last several weeks fish from Coleman NFH have been raised in net pens near Red Bluff. Fish are being reared downstream of the hatchery, using Sacramento River water, to test their survival and return rates.

Last week approximately 226,000 of these net pen fish were released directly into the Sacramento River in Red Bluff. This week an additional 200,000 net pen fish are being loaded into fish trucks, driven a couple hundred miles downstream and are being released into the San Francisco Bay.

When these fish return as adults we will compare the two release groups to evaluate their survival and return rates.

03/24/2026

It’s a busy week for fish releases!

Our fish are growing quickly, and they are running out of space. Yesterday, more than 6 million fall Chinook salmon smolts were released into Battle Creek, and another 353,000 smolts were released into the Sacramento River at Butte City between yesterday and today.

If you’re keeping track, since January we’ve released fish in:
• Battle Creek
• Sacramento River in Redding
• Sacramento River at Butte City
• Sacramento River in Red Bluff
• Rice fields in the Yolo Bypass

Some of these sites have had multiple releases. We have already completed over 10 release events so far this season and there are more to come.

Today approximately 226,000 juvenile fall Chinook salmon were released into the Sacramento River at Red Bluff. These fis...
03/20/2026

Today approximately 226,000 juvenile fall Chinook salmon were released into the Sacramento River at Red Bluff.

These fish have been raised in net pens near the Red Bluff Diversion Dam for the last several weeks. They are part of an experimental rearing strategy that is testing the survival and return rates of fish raised downstream of Coleman NFH in the Sacramento River.

There will be a second release next week directly into San Francisco Bay. The survival and return rates of these two groups will be compared and evaluated.

Address

24411 Coleman Fish Hatchery Road
Anderson, CA
96007

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5:15pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Sunday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+15303658622

Website

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