Arkansas Implements New Trout Regulations Following Historic Hatchery Crisis

Image by Danita Delimont

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission unanimously approved new trout harvest regulations on January 16, 2026, marking a significant step in the recovery of the state’s world-renowned trout fisheries following a catastrophic production crisis at two critical hatcheries.

The new rules, effective February 1, 2026, replace the emergency catch-and-release orders enacted in October 2025 and signal cautious optimism that the White River system can sustain limited harvest while its fish populations recover.

The New Regulations

Under the approved framework, restrictions vary by location:

Upper White River and North Fork River (Bull Shoals Dam to Norfork Access, and Norfork Dam to Norfork Access):

• Daily limit of two rainbow trout, both must be under 14 inches
• All brown, cutthroat, and brook trout must be released immediately

Lower White River (Norfork Access to Highway 58 bridge at Guion):

• Daily limit of two trout of any species
• Only one trout over 14 inches may be kept

Beaver and Greers Ferry Tailwaters:

• Daily limit of two trout of any species
• All trout over 14 inches must be released immediately

These regulations will remain in effect until further notice.

A Crisis Years in the Making

The new rules represent the latest chapter in what officials have called an unprecedented challenge to Arkansas’s trout program. The crisis began in early April 2025 when severe flooding struck the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery in Mammoth Spring, damaging equipment and infrastructure while washing countless trout out of the raceways before they could grow to catchable size. The state-owned facility has been operating at only 50 percent capacity since the disaster.

Then came the second blow. In October 2025, water quality problems at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery—the largest coldwater hatchery in the entire U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service system—triggered a catastrophic die-off. Fish deaths escalated from roughly 1,000 per day to tens of thousands daily, ultimately claiming an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the facility’s stock.

The Norfork hatchery normally maintains 3 million to 3.5 million trout of various sizes and species at any given time. These fish supply 100 percent of the trout stocked in the Bull Shoals, Beaver, and Norfork tailwaters, as well as a significant portion of the rainbow trout in the Greers Ferry Tailwater.

Christy Graham, AGFC Trout Management Program coordinator, presented the stark reality to commissioners last fall: “They started out losing 1,000 fish a day and then it was tens of thousands a day. We expect that starting probably in December, they won’t have any fish to stock for the foreseeable future.”

Economic Stakes Run High

The implications extend far beyond fish counts. Arkansas’s trout fisheries generate an estimated $100 million to $300 million annually in economic impact, drawing anglers from around the world to the Ozark region. The White River has produced two world-record brown trout—a 38-pound, 9-ounce fish in 1988 from the Norfork Tailwater and the current record 40-pound, 4-ounce brown caught in 1992 from the Greers Ferry Tailwater.

The region supports dozens of guide services, resorts, tackle shops, and restaurants. Gaston’s White River Resort, one of the area’s most storied destinations, even maintains a 3,200-foot airstrip specifically for fly-in anglers.

Commission Vice Chairman Rob Finley of Mountain Home, whose district encompasses much of the affected area, advocated for the restrictive emergency measures enacted in October, noting they coincided with the tourism industry’s slower season.

Recovery Efforts Underway

Federal and state agencies have mounted a collaborative effort to mitigate the losses. In late November and early December 2025, more than 120,000 rainbow trout measuring approximately 9.5 inches were transferred from Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery to Norfork. These fish, originally destined for net pens in Lake Ouachita, will now be raised at Norfork and stocked in the White River below Beaver and Bull Shoals Dams, as well as the North Fork River tailwater.

Mammoth Springs National Fish Hatchery has also begun raising additional rainbow trout to help offset production shortfalls.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged the difficulties in a December update: “The fall of 2025 has been a dreary time. The hatchery experienced a period of exceedingly high mortality due to poor water quality… These losses, paired with the detrimental flooding at Jim Hinkle State Fish Hatchery back in the spring, leave a huge hurdle to climb for stocking in 2026.”

Best-case projections suggest Norfork may not resume normal stocking operations until June 2026 at the earliest.

Looking Forward

The shift from total catch-and-release to limited harvest represents a calculated gamble by wildlife managers—an attempt to maintain angler interest and economic activity while protecting fragile fish populations.

“I just stress to the public that this is a temporary thing,” Graham said when the emergency order was first enacted. “We do not have any intention for this to be a long-term change to the regulations and the fishery. But it would be the protective thing to do right now.”

For now, anglers heading to Arkansas’s famous tailwaters will find fish in the river—just fewer of them, and with tighter restrictions on what they can take home.

AGFC Deputy Director Brad Carner offered some encouraging news at the January meeting, announcing that the agency has identified more than 40 regulations it plans to eliminate and consolidate as part of a broader simplification effort. “We’ve heard from all of the commissioners to take the steps necessary to consolidate and eliminate regulations to make things easier to understand for the general public,” he said.

The commission plans to revisit the trout regulations as hatchery production recovers. Videos of commission meetings are available on the AGFC’s YouTube channel.

At a Glance: New Arkansas Trout Regulations

Effective Date: February 1, 2026

For complete regulations and updates, visit agfc.com/fishing/trout or consult the AGFC Trout Fishing Guidebook.