The Roxbury Fish Culture Station, known as the Roxbury Fish Hatchery, was the first fish culture station in Vermont. It produces 2-year-old ‘trophy brook trout’ and 5000+ brook stock annually, for the state’s fish stocking programs. The Hatchery is on the National Register of Historic Places (Ref # 94000177).
Roxbury Fish Hatchery
3696 Roxbury Road, Roxbury, VT 05669
The Roxbury Fish Hatchery is located on VT Rt. 12A, 2 miles south of the town of Roxbury, on a narrow, ten-acre strip of land stretching between the highway and the Central Vermont Railroad line.
3696 Roxbury Road, Roxbury, VT 05669
Visitor Hours: 7AM – 3PM.
Built in 1891, the Fish Hatchery was a response to Vermont’s decreasing population of native fish. The State Legislature appropriated funding for the erection of a hatchery to repopulate Vermont’s lakes and streams. Roxbury was chosen for its abundant spring water, proximity to the Central Vermont Railroad line, and the donation of land by a local individual, the Hon. E. H. Spaulding. (from NPS Roxbury Fish Hatchery – link below)
In 2011, Tropical Storm Irene severely damaged the Fish Hatchery property. As of December 2020, it is fully operational. The hatchery plan was developed by HDR Engineering, Inc. of Springfield, Ill. It was the last recovery project to be completed in Vermont. “This facility is now Vermont’s oldest and newest fish hatchery,” said Roxbury Fish Culture Station Supervisor Jeremy Whalen. “We were able to preserve historic details of the original hatchery and meet modern water quality standards for the receiving watershed. The new and improved Roxbury hatchery will allow us to raise fish, provide angling opportunities and continue to be a mainstay in Vermont’s history, culture and economy.”
The public can feed the fish as they used to do, in two outside pools.
The Fishing Wire article
WCAX article/video
Vermont Biz article on the sculpture
Click here for The Herald article on the project.
National Parks Service: About the Roxbury Fish Hatchery.
VT Fish and Wildlife: About the Roxbury Fish Culture Station.
Roxbury Fish Station Rebuilding Its History (The Herald, Randolph VT)
Roxbury Fish Hatchery Begins Rebuilding 7 Years After Irene (WNBC-5, 10/24/2018)
Historic Marker Database: Roxbury Fish Hatchery
VT Fish and Wildlife Facebook page
Town of Roxbury VT 