The Hatchery is having its best year since it opened in 2000. This has come about by the help of a lot of dedicated members putting a lot of time and effort into the capture and keeping of the brood stock. Salmon and seatrout are kept in the hatchery from early August until late December. All the fish are kept in holding tanks and are monitored every day. When they are ready, they are striped of their eggs and fertilized. The brood stock are then put back into the river in the very best possible condition, this gives the fish a good chance of surviving and spawning again next year.
We have 75000 eggs in the hatchery this year (2008) and these eggs will be released into the river and small streams when they become eyed ova. With the help of the fishery boards North and South we put the eggs in as far up the Fane system as possible. This usually takes place late January until early March.
Anyone interested in helping out and finding out more about the hatchery, just contact any committee member.



During the years 1999-2000 it was decided by the Committee to build a Hatchery, a Disabled Anglers area and a new car park. Unfortunatly due to lack of funding the Hatchery was the only project that was to be fulfilled.
Leader II gave the Association a grant for the building of the Hatchery which was built by members of the club on a voluntary basis.
Since then the hatchery has grown from strength to strength with over 5,000 salmon eggs being incubated in the hatchery over the past 2 years. These eggs were distributed in tributaries of the Fane at Castleblaney and nursery waters in Co.Armagh.



Part of the batch was used to enhance spawing beds and to create new ones in the upper tributaries while some were allowed to hatch at Stephenstown and then introduced to nursery or virgin waters in Armagh.
Salmon once ascended to the River Fane in abundant numbers but factors such as physical obstructions to migration and habitat decimation prevented fish reaching the upper catchments since the middle of the last century.
In recent months the Association has been fortunate to recieve a grant from Inter Reg IIIA.Some of this grant has gone towards updating equipment in the hatchery. The hatchery would now be classed as one of the best on the east coast.
Over the past number of years the hatchery has been very well run by Peadar Byrne and his team.If any member would like to help out in the hatchery they can contact Peadar or any member of the committee.


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