I worked at Springfield Fish Hatchery for a day, and here’s what I learned

SPRINGFIELD — EastIdahoNews.com is finding out what it takes to work in different jobs, and today I’m at the Springfield Hatchery in Springfield, Idaho.

This hatchery specializes in raising the stunning Sockeye Salmon, preparing them for their long journey to the ocean.

Springfield is one of many hatcheries in the area; there are 19 in Idaho. The two nearest to Springfield are the American Falls and Grace hatcheries, which focus on rainbow trout. American Falls also raises cutthroat trout.

The Springfield hatchery was created in the early 1990s as part of the Snake River Sockeye Salmon Recovery Program. The Fish and Game’s website reports it came into existence after the salmon were listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. It was enacted in 1992 after one male salmon’s return to Redfish Lake.

The hatchery is responsible for raising 1 million Snake River Sockeye Salmon smolts, with releasing cycles occurring yearly.

Join me and Fish hatchery manager Ross Stadt, and assistant manager Daniela Ruiz, and find out what it takes to work with the fish.

See what it’s like in the video above.

Watch more Workin’ It videos here.

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