Preserving California's Wildlife Since 1870 The Mission of the Department of Fish and Game is to manage California's diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

Mount Shasta Fish Hatchery is the oldest operating hatchery in the West. Large open ponds hold Rainbow and Brown trout raised to stock mountain streams, rivers and lakes for fishing. View spawning on selected Tuesdays during fall and winter months.

If you were a salmon struggling against the current in the Klamath River right now, you'd probably be heading to Iron Gate Fish Hatchery. Built in 1966, near Hornbrook, the hatchery is 190 miles from the ocean and just downstream from Pacific Power's Iron Gate Dam. September the salmon are really jumping pretty good. Just below the dam, the hatchery's spawning area features a 300-foot fish ladder, but most people would rather watch the fish leap over a shorter ladder, located near the hatchery's picnic ground.