The Albert Powell Hatchery is located in Hagerstown, Maryland. Named after a former Maryland hatchery director, construction of this facility began in 1946 and was completed in 1949. This hatchery raises rainbow trout to meet various DNR goals. The hatchery receives eggs from a private supplier and raises them to fingerling size. Some of these fingerlings are stocked directly into Maryland waters at the request of Regional Biologists to enhance naturally reproducing populations. Additional fingerlings are supplied to other state culture facilities where they are grown to catchable size. The remaining fingerlings are cultured to adult size and used for put and take stocking and fishing rodeos. Approximately 10% of the fish are cultured to trophy size and stocked throughout Maryland to provide anglers with the opportunity to catch some spectacular fish.

The hatchery welcomes visitors, but please call the hatchery manager before your visit. Check out the hatchery through the video provided here, if you can't view the embedded video just go to YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZlTJno8Of0. Addition photos are provided below through the "Virtual Tour".

Contact information:
Marshall Brown, Hatchery Manager
20901 Fish Hatchery Road
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
Phone: (301) 393-5940

Start the Virtual Tour

This spring feeds the hatchery. Water from the spring flows through the hatchery and out into Beaver Creek. At various times, the hatchery requires more water flow than the spring can provide. When increased flow is needed, water is pumped from the hatchery outfall back to the springhead through the white pipe in the photo. Water flows through the drum filter, down the oxygenating column and back through the hatchery.

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High sediment loads in the water column are created during raceway cleaning. As the sediment load rises, water is shunted off from entering Beaver Creek and instead flows to this clarifier. The clarifier removes the suspended solids from the water and the treated water is drained into Beaver Creek. Collected solids are pumped to a storage chamber. This chamber is pumped once per week to a treatment facility.

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At times of high water demand, the hatchery can recirculate outflow back to the springhead to supplement natural spring flow. This pump house encloses two pumps for this purpose.

Fingerling trout are stocked in hatchery raceways to grow to catchable size.

Raceways are aerated to improve water quality. The raceways need constant attention through feeding and cleaning activities.

Trout are raised from commercially purchased eggs. Eggs are placed in the hatching trays (center). After hatching, they are cultured in the hatchery troughs until they are large enough to be placed in outdoor raceways.