This grant will be used to maintain infrastructure at six fish hatcheries and provide food fish for recreational benefit among present and future anglers in new mexico

The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 awarded $4,914,012.46 to the New Mexico Department of Game & Fish under the Sport Fish Restoration program (CFDA 15.605) for the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. This formula grant funds the maintenance and operational support of six fish hatcheries across New Mexico to produce food fish for recreational angling opportunities. The grant enables the Department to meet its legislative mandate of producing 660,000 pounds of fish annually while serving approximately 180,000 licensed anglers throughout the state.

Key deliverables under this award include hatchery infrastructure maintenance, disease prevention and management protocols for hatchery stock, and the development and maintenance of production databases for analyzing hatchery efficiency and output. These services directly support the Department's primary objective of providing sustainable recreational fishing opportunities for present and future anglers in New Mexico while optimizing overall hatchery system performance and productivity.

Our department must provide angling opportunities for approximately 180000 licensed anglers. A major focus of our hatchery system is to optimize hatchery production in order to meet or exceed the legislative mandate to produce 660000 pounds of fish annually. We also minimize disease threats to hatchery stock and maintain databases as a means of analyzing hatchery production and efficiency.