Main Bay Hatchery
The Main Bay Hatchery (MBH) is a state-owned hatchery built in 1981 by the ADF&G Fisheries Rehabilitation, Enhancement and Development (FRED) Division as a chum salmon hatchery. It is located in Main Bay, Prince William Sound, approximately 40 southeast of Whittier. PWSAC manages and operates the facility for ADF&G under a 20-year professional services agreement at no cost to the state. PWSAC assumed management and operational control of the hatchery in 1990. Main Bay was the first sockeye smolt-producing hatchery in the world. Up to six different sockeye salmon stocks have incubated and reared in the same hatchery building. PWSAC elected to concentrate solely on the Coghill Lake stock in 1998. This decreased the risk of disease, improved fish culture, and may increase marine survival by a percentage or two. MBH is currently permitted for 12.4 million sockeye salmon eggs annually.
Jason Myhrer is the MBH Hatchery Manager and leads a permanent staff of six on-site year-round, with a seasonal staff of eight during the summer. Jason has worked with PWSAC since 2002 he has an A.S. in Aquaculture from the Alexandria Technical College.
All the Hatchery Managers enjoy giving tours, showing off their hatcheries and the fish, so please stop by if you are in the area. All the hatcheries can be contacted on VHF 16.
MBH Sockeye Salmon Production Summary
| Stock | Green Eggs | Fry/Smolt Released | Total Return | ||
| Coghill Lake | 441,100 | 330,025 | 10,421 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 4,904,786 | 3,923,829 | 637,460 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 3,270,622 | 2,616,498 | 419,862 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 5,368,880 | 1,928,361 | 143,503 | ||
| Eshamy Lake | 2,985,984 | 1,843,079 | 126,242 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 1,112,711 | 720,446 | 13,358 | ||
| Eshamy Lake | 2,977,270 | 2,068,501 | 304,531 | ||
| Eyak Lake | 65,636 | 47,500 | 560 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 1,519,770 | 826,541 | 70,573 | ||
| Davis Lake | 1,658,388 | 806,218 | 61,062 | ||
| Eshamy Lake | 2,505,396 | 1,882,090 | 50,838 | ||
| Eyak Lake | 113,874 | 63,829 | 3,269 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 4,871,201 | 3,298,689 | 160,756 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 1,032,165 | 889,158 | 180,578 | ||
| Eshamy Lake | 2,148,427 | 1,453,730 | 157,618 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 3,180,773 | 2,400,666 | 445,890 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 448,584 | 330,296 | 10,198 | ||
| Eshamy Lake | 1,148,742 | 776,435 | 129,979 | ||
| Eyak Lake | 111,486 | 90,358 | 6,128 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 5,905,099 | 3,719,567 | 629,009 | ||
| MBH/Eshamy | 1,248,663 | 769,575 | 104,987 | ||
| Coghill Lake | 1,301,525 | 865,020 | 897 | ||
| Eshamy Lake | 1,182,000 | 114,475 | 37,716 | ||
| MBH/Eyak | 159,976 | 82,514 | 6,733 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 4,672,901 | 3,329,154 | 1,486 | ||
| MBH/Eshamy | 1,292,836 | 89,108 | 29,634 | ||
| MBH/Eyak | 2,651,472 | 131,503 | 1,150 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 3,096,961 | 239,023 | 36,940 | ||
| MBH/Eshamy | 1,929,000 | 845,190 | 124,355 | ||
| Eyak Lake | 300,578 | 138,198 | 10,722 | ||
| MBH/Eyak | 92,962 | 42,742 | 3,428 | ||
| MBH/Eshamy | 2,829,641 | 2,485,204 | 322,161 | ||
| MBH/Eyak | 3,372,073 | 2,803,660 | 284,313 | ||
| MBH/Eshamy | 6,373,799 | 4,165,786 | 795,453 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 9,249,583 | 8,181,502 | 1,488,465 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 9,109,723 | 7,379,733 | 754,315 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 10,040,419 | 7,858,190 | 819,128 | ||
| MBH/Eshamy | 10,870,366 | 6,320,515 | 180,777 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 9,906,932 | 7,607,383 | 1,767,385 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 9,744,784 | 7,641,728 | 748,113 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 10,419,887 | 8,302,760 | 881,701 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 10,868,642 | 9,150,000 | 1,323,536 | ||
| MBH/Coghill | 10,100,000 | 8,520,000 | 895,789 | 10.51% | |
| MBH/Coghill | 10,400,000 | 8,340,000 | Age-4: 902,258 | 10.82% | |
| MBH/Coghill | 10,500,000 | 8,160,000 | Age-3: 3,098 | 0.04% | |
| MBH/Coghill | 10,100,000 | ||||
| MBH/Coghill | 12,100,000 | ||||
| MBH/Coghill | 12,100,000 |
