Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Anchorage Eco-Tour►

On our last day in Alaska, we took the Anchorage Eco Tour with Salmon Berry Tours. Our guide picked us up at our hotel and whisked us away to the William Jack Hernandez Hatchery, the Alaska Botanical Garden and the Campbell Creek Estuary.

William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery►

The sport fishing industry contributes greatly to local Alaskan economies. The state built the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery in June of 2011. In this state-of-the-art facility, they can produce more than 6 million fish per year. They raise Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Rainbow Trout and Arctic Char.

The hatchery employs a recirculating aquaculture system which conserves water and energy. Employees release the fish throughout South Central Alaska, providing $20 million a year in income for those communities. The visitor corridor allows for viewing of the operations, with interpretive displays to explain what you are looking at.

The Hernandez Hatchery sits on Ship Creek. We were there too early in the season to see the salmon running. There are some raceways at the edge of the creek for capturing returning salmon. The staff collects eggs from these fish for hatching in the facility and then sends them on their way.

Alaska named the hatchery for William Jack Hernandez, a WWII veteran. Hernandez served in the Pacific and spent three years as a prisoner of war. When he returned, he went to work for the Alaska Territorial Department of Fish and Game in a joint venture with the Army. In that role, he developed Fort Richardson’s power plant cooling pond into a fish hatchery.

Anchorage Posts►

• Alaska Botanical Garden
• William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery
• Campbell Creek Estuary Natural Area

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Location: 941 N Reeve Blvd, Anchorage, AK 99501
Designation: State Hatchery
Date designated/established: 2011
Date of my visit: June 7, 2022