State Fish Hatcheries
A fish hatchery is a facility designed to cultivate and breed a large number of fish in an enclosed artificial environment. It provides for fish eggs to develop and hatch by maintaining proper water temperature, oxygen levels, disease control, food and protection from predators. Some species are grown outside of their natural season. The fish are held until they are ready for release into rivers or lakes, a practice known as fish stocking. In order to support high-quality fishing experiences, fish-culture techniques have been used in Connecticut to augment, enhance and/or restore populations of native and introduced fish species for over 100 years.
The State of Connecticut DEEP Fisheries Division operates three fish hatcheries. The production of all of the trout and salmon stocked is accomplished by three facilities. The staff at these hatcheries is charged with hatching, rearing, and distributing over 1 million adults, juveniles, fingerlings/fry, and eggs to support various Fisheries Management goals.
Several different types of fish are raised in our hatchery system. Collectively, trout and salmon are referred to as salmonid species.
Six different types produced:
A report of all of the fish stocked by the Fisheries Division is produced annually. Reports for prior years are available by request.
Burlington State Fish Hatchery (Jump to more about Burlington)
Address: 34 Belden Rd, Burlington, CT 06013
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (7 days a week)
Tours: Self-guided or by reservation
Phone: 860-673-2340
Kensington State Fish Hatchery (Jump to more about Kensington)
Address: 120 Old Hatchery Rd, Kensington, CT 06037
Hours: Not open to the public
Quinebaug Valley State Fish Hatchery (Jump to more about Quinebaug)
Address: 145 Trout Hatchery Road, Plainfield, CT 06374
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (7 days a week)
Tours: Open to the public. Groups interested in tours of the hatchery starting on or after June 1 should call at the phone number below.
Phone: 860-564-7542
Burlington State Fish Hatchery
The oldest hatchery, Burlington was constructed in 1923. Artesian wells and nearby streams provide all of the water necessary for the operation, thereby keeping the electrical needs at a minimum and making this the State of Connecticut's most cost effective facility. Being near the top of the watershed ensures that land development will have little impact on its future operation. The hatchery produces Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee, and Rainbow Trout for Fisheries Management Programs.
Take a virtual tour of the hatchery via this video below with hatchery supervisor - Tom Chairvolotti
Learn how staff care for the eggs in order to make the next generation of fish.
One unique fish culture project is the Brown Trout “Survivor” Program. It is intended to produce a strain of fish that is better suited to survive in the wild. Ideally, the "Survivor" strain will behave like a wild trout, be more temperature tolerant, have better avian predator avoidance, and readily reproduce. Annually, the Fisheries Division staff collects fish from the West Branch Farmington River that have survived for more than one year and each fall transfer these fish to the Burlington facility to be used as brood stock. The offspring of these fish are returned to the West Branch Farmington River to grow and spawn, thus increasing the number of "Wild" Brown Trout in the river. While research continues on the effectiveness of the program, the initial information indicates the program is working. Prior to these efforts, there were few “Wild” Brown Trout in the West Branch Farmington River. Now "Wild" Brown Trout catches are commonplace.
Unique hatchery improvements have been put in place to protect fish growing in the outside ponds. Fencing and overhead netting have reduced predation and increased the number of fish available for stocking while providing easy access.
Kensington State Fish Hatchery
Constructed in 1934, the Kensington State Fish Hatchery is our second oldest hatchery in operation. One of the former functions of the Kensington State Fish Hatchery was to support Atlantic Salmon restoration efforts. With federal restoration efforts concluded (2013), DEEP has begun the “Legacy Program”. The Legacy Program will maintain enough Atlantic Salmon at our Kensington State Fish Hatchery to preserve genetic integrity of the Connecticut River strain. For over 45 years, biologists have been breeding adult salmon that have returned to the Connecticut River as part of the restoration program. Fish that were originally stocked to support restoration came from Maine, but over time the genetic identity of the strain shifted as fish adapted to their new river. The current strain is the southernmost population of Atlantic Salmon and it is important to maintain this strain, not only to support CT’s Atlantic Salmon Legacy Program but also to preserve this unique genetic resource, the importance of which may go beyond the boundaries of Connecticut.
In addition, each year, surplus broodstock and 2 to 3 year old salmon (raised specifically for this fishery) are released into the Naugatuck and Shetucket Rivers, as well as selected lakes. These fish provide a unique angling opportunity that attracts anglers worldwide. Surplus eggs are supplied to over 80 schools that participate in the Salmon-In-Schools program. Students are responsible for caring for the eggs until they hatch, feeding the fry, and then releasing them into local waters. Brown Trout eggs are also produced to support the Trout in the Classroom program.
Learn more about raising and stocking Atlantic Salmon.
The Kensington Hatchery also rears and stocks a special strain of Brown Trout, the Seeforellen.
Learn more about spawning the Seeforellen Brown Trout in the video below.
Quinebaug Valley State Fish Hatchery
The Quinebaug Valley State Fish Hatchery sits on approximately 2,000 acres of state-owned land and was constructed in 1971 at a cost of $2.5 million dollars. The water is supplied by 14 wells, each of which can produce from 100 to 800 gallons per minute providing the 5,000 gallons per minute necessary for fish production.
This state of the art numerical control facility is managed from the control center located in the main office where the operator can observe water quality, monitor well pumps, program feeding systems, program/access alarms, and review historical trends of the facility. There is an onsite backup generator that can supply power to the entire complex as necessary. The secure spawning area and the hatch house are managed for disease prevention and monitored for quality assurance. The photoperiod (length of daylight) of the fish is manipulated for controlled growth patterns as determined by the needs of fisheries management efforts.
Current energy upgrades in place or being implemented:
- Expand motion detector usage
- High efficiency lighting
- High efficiency well pumps
- Liquid oxygen
- Recirculation system
- Variable speed drives
The Quinebaug Valley State Fish Hatchery is responsible for the production of the majority of the state’s trout and has four main areas:
- The Hatch House is used to incubate and hatch the fish eggs. When the fish reach 3 inches in size, they are moved to the intermediate tanks.
- Intermediate Tanks consist of 30 circular tanks 20 feet in diameter. Each tank can hold up to 30,000 3-inch fish. The fish remain in these tanks until they are 6 to 8 inches in length when they are transferred to the outside grow out tanks.
- Grow Out Tanks consist of 40 outside circular tanks 50 feet in diameter. They are covered by netting to control predatory birds. Each tank can hold up to 13,000 6- to 8-inch fish. The trout will remain in these tanks until they are ready for stocking.
- Brood Stock Raceways consist of 20 raceways 50 feet long by 6 feet wide. Brood stock are the fish that provide the eggs needed for use in the hatch house.
Brown Trout eggs are also produced to support the Trout in the Classroom program.
Please contact the Fisheries Division with any questions.
Phone: 860-424-FISH (3474)
E-mail: deep.inland.fisheries@ct.gov
Content last updated January 2026.