Feeding the fish at Bonneville Hatchery is a fun way to spend the day. There is also picnicking, camping, boating, hiking, and more available to do at the Bonneville Reservoir. September is when the adult salmon begin to arrive at the hatchery, you will want to see them before the last week of October. Towards the end of October is when these salmon start spawning and then naturally die, not such a pretty time to visit them. Read more about the Bonneville Hatchery below.
Trout Pond
Caution: Trout can bite! Please do not tease or touch them!
Two ponds have Rainbow Trout in them. We do not raise trout here at Bonneville Fish Hatchery; these Trout are brought here for your enjoyment.
There are machines by the ponds where you can buy fish food for a quarter to feed the trout.
The money from these machines is used to keep the hatchery grounds beautiful for visitors.
Sturgeon Pond
There is one outdoor pond that has young sturgeon in it.
Sturgeon like to eat live things that have died! They eat their food off of the bottom of the pond.
The Sturgeon is a prehistoric fish and is a “cartilaginous” fish. This means they have no bones This is like a shark or an eel.
Sturgeon Viewing Center
Beyond the outdoor sturgeon pond there is a small white building that you can walk into. This is the Sturgeon Viewing Center, which was built in 1998.
Herman the Sturgeon is located in the Sturgeon Viewing Center and is approximately 10’ long, 425 pounds and over 60 years old.
SRC: For more information about Bonneville Hatchery visit: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/visitors/bonneville_hatchery_more.asp
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