Mammoth Creek fish hatchery reopens

It was recently announced that the Mammoth Creek fish hatchery in southern Utah has been reopened and is now back in the fish-raising business.

It was closed in 2002 when it was discovered fish in the hatchery were starting to whirl, and it had nothing to do with boredom.

It seems water being used in raising the fish was being contaminated with whirling disease by waters from a nearby canyon.

Hatcheries can be scoured and rebuilt, as in the case of Mammoth Creek. Once in open water, however, the parasites have a permanent home.

Once found in a hatchery, the course is clear — kill all the fish, rebuild and try, as best they can, to disease-proof the facility.

So far, three hatcheries — Midway (2000), Mammoth Creek (2002) and Springville (2005) — have been infected. Close to 3.5 million fish, which were headed for popular fishing waters, had to be destroyed.

Steps were taken to try to disease-proof Mammoth Creek at a cost of a few million additional dollars.

The first line of defense against recontamination is a state-of-the-art filtration plant. According to the report, the filtration plant consists of a two-stage system that incorporates drum filters and ultraviolet reactors, much like the ones used in water treatment plants across the country.

To protect the ponds and spillways from a ground invasion, all of the ponds and raceways have been enclosed in large metal buildings.

The parasite can be carried by birds or raccoons or even in a speck of mud on a visitor's shoe.

So, to further protect it from a land invasion, the hatchery will be closed to all visitors. The exception will be a limited number of prescheduled school tours.

With the loss of the three hatcheries, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has had to increase rearing capacities in other hatcheries and has been able to do it.

Now that Mammoth Creek is back, it is expected that it will contribute around 250,000 fish into Utah's fishing system this year and that by 2007, when the hatchery is expected to be up to full steam, it should be producing between 400,000 and 600,000 fish.

Emphasis now will be in getting Midway and Springville back in business.

And, of course, to try not to lose any more of the hatcheries to whirling disease.