Living with the fishes: Housing at state fish hatcheries

摘要

Housing for staff has a long history as part of public fish hatchery operations in North America. As early as 1872, a rough cabin for human habitation was constructed at the Baird hatchery in California (Stone 1896). There are a variety of other written and photographic references to both historical and present-day housing at numerous public hatcheries (Leitritz 1970, Halliday 2002, Barnes 2007). Despite this long history and tradition, there is little documentation available on government-provided housing at public fish hatcheries. Information on hatchery-housing policies, current practices, and the impacts of housing on employees is needed by fisheries administrators to develop at least some informal analysis evaluating the tangible and intangible costs of housing with the tangible and intangible benefits. Data on the rationale and issues concerning hatchery housing may provide administrators the information necessary to enhance the existing hatchery housing paradigm.