Supporting West Virginia’s Fish Hatcheries

By Jody Brumage

Several projects supported by Senator Byrd spanned the length of his career and included multiple appropriations to upgrade infrastructure or adapt to changing technologies. One of these projects that received continued support was West Virginia’s fish hatcheries and aquaculture centers.
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Beginning in the early twentieth century, the state established centers to study fish populations and breed trout and other species for stocking rivers and ponds. The first of these centers was the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery, founded in 1902 in Greenbrier County. A second hatchery, located at Leetown in Jefferson County, was established in 1930. The Bowden Hatchery, located near Elkins in Randolph County, was started in the early 1960s. All three of these hatcheries, in addition to centers at West Virginia University and other hatcheries established by the state received several appropriations from Congress through Senator Byrd’s efforts.

This long-term support for West Virginia’s fish hatcheries stemmed from Senator Byrd’s awareness of the multiple benefits these centers brought to the state. The fish hatched in the centers stocked the state’s recreational parks and facilities which enhanced tourism throughout West Virginia, as described in a press release issued in 1971. During the 1960s and 70s, Senator Byrd added appropriations which expanded and improved facilities at all three of the state’s hatcheries. On October 21, 1967, Senator Byrd spoke at the dedication of new facilities at Leetown, noting the importance of the hatcheries to the state’s sport fishing industry.

Senator Byrd poses for a photograph with leaders of the Leetown Hatchery. Click on the image to view a photo album from the 1967 dedication.

Senator Byrd also recognized the valuable research opportunities presented by the fish hatcheries and added several appropriations to expand and improve existing facilities and to start new ones. A Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife report sent to the Senator’s office in 1968 described facility upgrades that would be needed at the Leetown Facility, which housed the Eastern Fish Disease Laboratory. Senator Byrd continued to support the Leetown facilities, adding over $15.9 million to appropriations bills in the 1990s to establish the National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture, which was dedicated in August 2001.

In large part to continued federal support, delivered by Senator Byrd from the 1960s through 2010, West Virginia’s fish hatcheries continue to operate today, providing stock for state parks and conducting significant research in the environmental studies and aquaculture fields. In his 2001 speech at the Leetown hatchery, Senator Byrd remarked “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Help a man to farm fish and you help to feed the world.”