The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Arizona Game and Fish Commission restored rainbow trout stocking at Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery in Mohave County, Arizona.
Dan Ashe, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), signed the formal agreement with the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to begin restoring rainbow trout stocking operations this week.
Trout-stocking operations at Willow Beach Fish Hatchery were suspended last fall following a failure in the Hatchery’s water intake pipeline. Under the agreement, a new water pump system will be installed to supply Colorado River water to the Hatchery’s stock ponds.
The repairs are estimated to cost $776,000, which will be split between the federal and state wildlife agencies.
Trout fishing supports around 1,700 jobs and generates approximately $75 million in economic activity along the Mohave County/Clark County stretch of the Lower Colorado River, according to an analysis provided by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Arizona Game and Fish Commission Chairman Robert Mansell and Mohave County Board of Supervisors Chair Hildy Angius said the final agreement would allow Arizona to “retain its reputation as one of the finest sport fishing destinations in North America.”