Fairport Fisheries Management & Hatchery

The Fairport Fisheries Management office is located on the Mississippi River at the Fairport Fish Hatchery east of Muscatine. The team manages the Mississippi River from Lock and Dam 15 in Davenport to the Iowa-Missouri line below Lock and Dam 19 at Keokuk. They manage 68,000 acres of the Mississippi River.

Fairport management team activities include:

• Survey and assess fish and mussel populations in the Mississippi River.
• Develop habitat improvement projects that benefit fish and other aquatic species.
• Review permits.
• Perform fish kill investigations.
• Coordinate with other Mississippi River agencies to best manage river species.
• Conduct research to acquire information to best manage river species.
• Conduct fishing clinics and other public outreach activities.

Fairport Fisheries Management also oversaw and operated the Fairport Fish Hatchery until 2025.

The Fairport Fish Hatchery is a warm-water extensive culture station located on the Mississippi River along Iowa Highway 22, eight miles east of Muscatine in Muscatine county.

Twenty ponds and nearly 18 acres of water are used to hatch and raise warm-water angling favorites like walleye and bluegill. Adult walleye are captured each year from various areas of the Mississippi River for spawning activities and quickly released after eggs and milt are collected. 

Adult bluegill are held year-round at the facility and stocked directly into ponds to spawn. Fingerlings are raised in the ponds until they are roughly 1 to 2 inches long and then stocked in Iowa's interior rivers, lakes, and ponds.

History

The Fairport Fish Hatchery was originally established in 1908 with construction culminating in a grand opening in 1914 attended by over 5,000 people. The Friends of the Fairport Fish Hatchery have brought the history of the hatchery to life with stories found within two historic interpretative trails.