Hatchery open house brings hundreds to Seneca Lake

Heather Sevigny
·1 min read

SENECAVILLE −The Senecaville State Fish Hatchery, 57199 Seneca Dam Road, recently hosted an open house, welcoming hundreds of guests to the facility. Fish hatchery superintendent Casey Goodpaster was on site to educate those in attendance on what it takes to hatch the millions of fish used to stock reservoirs statewide.

Casey Goodpaster talks to guests about the Senecaville Fish Hatchery and the millions of eggs that will hatch soon. The hatchery hosted an open house recently and welcomed more than 500 people.
Casey Goodpaster talks to guests about the Senecaville Fish Hatchery and the millions of eggs that will hatch soon. The hatchery hosted an open house recently and welcomed more than 500 people.

Goodpaster, along with staff from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office, Guernsey County Soil and Water Conservation and more were on hand to speak with attendees.

Guests could try their hand at archery in the archery trailer or see an electrofishing boat that is used to help keep track of local fish populations. A furbearer display was also on site to see how many animals guests could identify. One 12-old-year girl named every pelt correctly, even after briefly getting caught up on a muskrat's skin.

Saugeye and walleye eggs line the facility, ready to hatch and then stock area waterways.
Saugeye and walleye eggs line the facility, ready to hatch and then stock area waterways.

The Senecaville State Fish Hatchery offers self-guided tours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Guided tours can set be arranged for larger groups. The hatchery contains 37 ponds and covers 121 acres of land. Built in 1938, the hatchery now raises saugeye, walleye, hybrid striped bass and channel catfish. In 2022, 8.4 million saugeye were raised and stocked and 9,867,791 walleye.

For more information or to set up a group tour, call 740-685-5541.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Hatchery open house brings hundreds to Seneca Lake