Following concern sparked by dwindling salmon stocks the French Ministry of the Environment decided to introduce a number of convergent measures to save the species. In 1994 the “Plan Loire Grandeur Nature” project was created. This involved in particular the funding of the largest European salmon hatchery for restocking.

The SMAT (Syndicat Mixte d’Aménagement du Haut Allier) was in charge of the construction of this hatchery and seven years after the decision to create this centre of international proportions the “Plan Loire Grandeur Nature” launched on the 10th July 2001 one of its finest ventures namely the “Salmoniculture du Haut Allier”, situated at Chanteuges in the Haute-Loire. The main aim of this hatchery is the restocking of the whole of the Allier basin and the Vienne/Creuse/Gartempe and Loire/Arroux links, with salmon originating from the Allier, and to ensure the preservation of this fish. Eventually 1 200 adults should return to the spawning grounds of the Allier basin from the first generation (in 2005) and 2 400 from the second (2010).

At the forefront of modern technology
Because of the difficulty in keeping salmon alive in captivity the site for the hatchery, at the confluence of the Desges and the Allier, was chosen for the quality of its water and aquatic environment.
In order to safeguard the stock originating from the Allier, the hatchery has used advanced technology developed by biologists from Quebec particularly for the recovery of the reproductive fish after spawning. The installations conform to the requirements of specific rearing conditions including stringent zootechnical standards thus guaranteeing high quality production. In line with the exemplary nature of this hatchery a system of waste treatment has been integrated into the production right up to the point of sludge spreading. Thus all the necessary conditions are combined to ensure the success of the project.

Key statistics concerning the “salmoniculture du Haut Allier”
Production capacity
- eggs : 2 250 000
- alevins : 350 000
- smolts : 235 000

The production capacity of the hatchery makes it the largest European hatchery for restocking, with a potential comparable to that of North American and Canadian hatcheries.
Its specificity resides particularly in the production of smolts (young salmon on their first journey to the sea) which will in time represent 150% of current national production.

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