The Ashton hatchery was originally constructed in 1920 and during 1998 produced 165,806 catchable sized rainbow trout for planting in the Upper Snake region as well as 389,184 fingerling fishes of 10 different species and strains for statewide use.
Ashton Hatchery serves as a "specialty station," rearing nine species of trout and salmon, including rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout, golden trout, grayling, and Kamloops rainbow trout.
The majority of fish produced at Ashton Hatchery are fry and fingerling (1 to 6 inches) that are distributed throughout Idaho as part of various put-grow-and-take management programs. Catchable size fish (8 to 10 inches) are also reared at Ashton and distributed locally in waters managed on a put-and-take basis.