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For up-to-date information on North Carolina licenses, regulations and other wildlife resources, please visit the agency’s website NCWildlife.org.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Inland Fisheries Division operates six fish hatcheries that raise a variety of fish for stocking into North Carolina's public waters. These hatcheries are designated as "warmwater", "coolwater" or "coldwater" hatcheries. Because state-operated hatcheries stock only public waters, people seeking to stock private lakes and ponds must contact a commercial hatchery.
The McKinney Lake Hatchery in Richmond County raises channel catfish exclusively for the state's public waters. The Watha Hatchery in Pender County raises striped bass, striped bass hybrids, channel catfish and largemouth bass for the state's public waters.
The Table Rock Hatchery in Burke County is the Division's sole coolwater hatchery. It raises muskellunge, walleye and smallmouth bass.
The Armstrong Hatchery and Marion Hatchery in McDowell County and Bobby N. Setzer Hatchery in Transylvania County raise one million brook, brown and rainbow trout annually.
Because state-operated hatcheries stock only public waters, people seeking to stock private lakes and ponds must contact a commercial hatchery. A list of hatcheries licensed to sell fish in North Carolina is available from your local North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. For more information on commercial hatcheries, click on the "Commercial hatcheries" link above.