Magic Valley Hatcheries Lead Steelhead Production

(KLIX) – The Snake River Canyon, Perrine Bridge, Shoshone Falls – just a few of the things for which the Magic Valley is known.

Something else: steelhead.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Magic Valley hatcheries lead the state in steelhead production.

“Each year, steelhead anglers throughout the state reap the benefits of fish reared in Magic Valley steelhead hatcheries,” the department explained in a news release. “Because of the area’s cold clean water, three local Idaho Fish and Game hatcheries in the Snake River canyon raise steelhead that will ultimately be released as smolts to begin their migration to the Pacific Ocean.”

The valley is home to three steelhead hatcheries: Hagerman National, Magic Valley, and Niagara Springs, which each spring, according to the department, raise some 5 million steelhead from eggs taken from adult steelhead at hatcheries around the state.

“Over the next eleven months, the young steelhead grow, reaching approximately 8.5 inches in length and weighing nearly four ounces, the perfect size for smolt to begin their migration to the Pacific Ocean.”

You can read more about the work of these hatcheries,, the fish, and steelhead production here.