Bear Creek Hatchery is located in the mountains of Garrett County in Accident, Maryland. This facility was originally constructed in 1928 and currently cultures approximately 80,000 adult golden trout and rainbow trout for Maryland’s spring “Put and Take” stocking program. Bear Creek Hatchery is also responsible for culturing and stocking 3,000 adult trout for the Youth Fishing Rodeo program in Allegany and Garrett counties. Bear Creek Hatchery annually receives all fingerling production trout from Mettiki Hatchery located near Oakland Md. Bear Creek Hatchery is a stream fed facility and receives hatchery supply water from the main channel of Bear Creek itself. As with all stream fed hatcheries, Bear Creek Hatchery faces numerous challenges due to environmental variation throughout each annual growing season. These challenges include a wide water temperature range, fluctuating stream flows, inconsistent water quality parameters, and evolving environmental changes.

The original raceways were constructed out of a dry riverbed in 1928.
Concrete was later added to these raceways. All water flow is by elevational drop
so no pumps are necessary. Due to an outbreak of whirling disease in 2007,
only one of these original raceways is in use today.

These raceways were constructed in 1996 during a hatchery renovation and expansion project. 

Hatchery staff weighing out trout prior to loading them on the stocking truck.

For more information concerning Bear Creek Hatchery, contact Mark Harman​ at 301-746-8148.