Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery

04/03/2026

All seven of our upcoming youth fishing sessions are now full. It's great to see high demand for an outdoor event like this. We wish we were able to host more!

10/01/2025

Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated.
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Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

04/01/2025

No foolin', our aquarium opens for the 2025 season today. Hours are 10-3:00, M-F, between now and May 1.

10/01/2024

The official start of fall hit the hatchery today. The aquarium is now closed for the offseason and the trout have been moved from the raceways to the fishing pond.

09/06/2024

Lake Francis Case has 30,000 more paddlefish after 3 days of stocking at Chamberlain and Snake Creek this week. The fish (up to 12”) looked great and are now exploring their new home.

08/29/2024

Early this morning a second batch of paddlefish hit the road for Lake Sharpe. Between today and Tuesday, we sent more than 20,000 fish to this upstream Missouri River reservoir. SDGFP helped with the hauling and will manage the fish from here on.

Next week we'll load up the rest, all bound for Lake Francis Case.

08/14/2024

If you’re a birder in search of migrating shorebirds stop out and take a peek at the pond we drained this AM. It’s just a short walk from the parking lot.

08/13/2024

Our aquarium's largest snapping turtle got a moment in the spotlight before the doors opened this morning. He's one of 7 who live here, 5 of which are currently on display.

08/09/2024

Our Friends Group has done an amazing job with their pollinator garden this year. It's a great feature along the walkway between the aquarium and hatchery.

08/08/2024

It's the fourth day of the annual paddlefish tagging project here at the hatchery. Over 50,000 fish had a tiny tag injected into their rostrum this week. The fish have one more month to grow in our ponds before their release.

07/25/2024

A few of our yearling paddlefish recently got their moment in the aquarium studio. Look closely at the top two. Did you realize that paddlefish have barbels (whiskers) like sturgeon and catfish?