Hatchery & Aquarium Map

1. Walter L. Ross II Aquarium Building

This building houses over 30 different species of freshwater fish native to New York State. The fish range from the primitive bowfin to the native Long Island brook trout. In the Turtle Alcove you will find our hatchling turtles. Can you match the young turtles with the adults outside? This building was named after Walter L. Ross II who was an avid trout fisherman and enthusiastic board member.

2. Robert Koenig Memorial Pond

Dedicated in September 2001 and generously donated by his family, the Robert Koenig Memorial Pond houses brown trout and water lilies.

3. Hatch House & Rearing Pools

Trout eggs are protected from hungry predators and sunlight in the Hatch House. The eggs, taken in early November, hatch in late December. The fish remain here for about four months or until they are moved into the rearing pools. The rearing pools are intermediate pools between the troughs in the Hatch House and the large outdoor Trout Ponds. They provide the needed space for young trout to grow. The fish in these pools will move to the larger ponds within the year.

4. Trout Ponds

Refer to the signs on each pond for the species and their month of hatching. The water that feeds these ponds is 52 degrees year round. You’ll notice the nets over the ponds – these help keep hungry predators such as herons and ospreys from eating the trout.

5. Warm Water Pond

The water in this pond comes from St. John’s Pond, located directly south of the Hatchery. This pond may freeze in winter, but can reach temperatures as warm as 80 degrees in the summer. Unlike trout, the fish in this pond can tolerate higher water temperatures. The inhabitants are varied, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, bowfin, longnose gar, channel catfish, common carp, grass carp, bluegills, pumpkinseeds, white and yellow perch, American eels, walleye, white bass, lake sturgeon, redhorse suckers, and northern pike.

6. Turtle Pond

This pond has the same water source as the Warm Water Pond. On sunny days many of the turtles will bask on the cedar logs. The various species include Blandings, painted, wood, eastern spiny softshell, snapping, redbelly, and common map turtles.

7. Round Ponds

The round ponds hold brook or rainbow trout ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 years old. The round ponds are self cleaning; the water flows in at the side and drains through the middle.

8. Tidal Raceway

Freshwater flows from our outdoor ponds and artesian wells into the Tidal Raceway, which then empties into Long Island Sound. Our “Catch & Keep” trout fishing takes place in the Tidal Raceway every Friday through Tuesday.

9. Tidal Creek Observation Platform

From this deck you can observe the tidal creek and the St. John’s Pond spillway and dam, where there was once an ice house. There are still many birds and animals which visit, make homes, and sometimes reproduce in the tidal estuary. Anadromous fish, such as alewives and white perch, move into this creek seasonally.

10. Fairchild Exhibit Building

In this building, there are aquariums displaying some of New York’s smaller, native freshwater fishes, reptiles and amphibians. The “New York Amphibia ” exhibit is the largest living collection of native amphibians in the Northeast. Junior the snapping turtle, stolen from the Hatchery in 1998, has been preserved and is on display for visitors to see and learn his story. This building is named after Julia F. Fairchild, a local resident and leader in keeping the Hatchery open after the State wanted to close it.