It occupies about 250 acres in the Orangeburg area, but Orangeburg Fish Hatchery manager Willie Booker describes the federally-supported facility as a "well kept secret needing to be released."

"Our vision is to continue to make the hatchery a part of the community," Booker said. "That is what we have been striving for."

In an effort to further enhance the public's accessibility and familiarity of the hatchery, Booker said there are plans to construct a $5.5 million visitor/educational center and handicap-accessible, paved 1-mile nature trail on the hatchery grounds. The trail would include interpretation signage of the various aquatic and land wildlife that call the hatchery home.

The visitor center would serve as an informational resource for the public to receive on the fish hatchery, its history and its importance both statewide and nationally.

The education center would consist of classroom and laboratory space for area schools and universities to utilize as part of their respective biology curriculums.

A 100-person auditorium would also be constructed for large gatherings, special events and civic groups.

"I envision it being a building that would accommodate a variety of functions from an educational component, where we would have lecture halls and laboratories to do science projects," he said. "We would have a visitor program, where visitors can come out and there will be interpretations and an aquarium with live fish."

The facilities would be staffed for the opportunities of tours and would be open on weekend for tourists. It would also be open for state and environmental organizations to utilize for gatherings.

Booker said the timeline on the project is uncertain and will depend on Congress but, with war funding taking a priority, domestic projects will most likely suffer and experience setbacks, he said.

The hatchery will most likely receive federal appropriation monies for the design phase within the next year or two. Construction phase monies would generally filter down in following years.

Booker said the proposed project has received support from local congressmen, in particular Congressman James Clyburn.

The proposed project is the latest of a series of projects planned for the hatchery.

The facility just completed an extensive renovation project on the dam at its Cannon Bridge Road substation and the construction of an underground culvert at its main station on Stonewall Jackson Boulevard to assist with drainage for the area's watershed.

The Cannon Bridge Road dam, which maintains a hatchery-owned lake, was deemed a priority by the federal government for renovations due to its age. Both projects were completed during the past two years.

As one of two federally-supported hatcheries in South Carolina — the other being on Wadmalaw Island — the fish hatchery has played a vital role in preserving the state's aquatic life, and one of its largest recreational activities: fishing.

With two sites, the hatcheries rear about 15 million fish annually, with about 6 million of those used to stock area lakes and rivers with striped bass and red breast sunfish.

The hatchery is a warm-water fish hatchery, where fish are reared in about 27 earthen ponds in temperatures ranging from 60 degrees F. to 85 degrees F. The hatchery produces a variety of freshwater fish including striped bass, redbreast sunfish, bluegill sunfish and shortnosed sturgeon.

To help enlighten the public on the importance of preservation and conservation, the Fish Hatchery sponsors tours, special fishing days for the kids, senior citizens and those with special needs, while also utilizing media outlets to get the message across.

For more information on the various programs at the Orangeburg Fish Hatchery, call 803-534-4828.

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