Mifflin named manager of MDC's Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery

BRANSON, Mo. – Sheldon Mifflin has a new title at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, but he’s very familiar with the facility and the work he’ll be doing there.

Mifflin is the new hatchery manager at Shepherd of the Hills, an MDC-operated cold-water hatchery on the west end of Lake Taneycomo in Branson. He replaces Clint Hale, who was promoted to MDC Hatchery Systems Manager for the entire state earlier this year.

In his new position, Mifflin will oversee a hatchery that produces approximately one million rainbow trout and 50,000 brown trout each year. Those fish get stocked in Lake Taneycomo and other MDC-managed sites around the state.

The work involved with raising rainbow and brown trout at Shepherd of the Hills are tasks Mifflin has been involved with for more than a decade. Prior to accepting his current position, Mifflin worked at Shepherd of the Hills for 12 years. Before that, the Chilhowee native and Northwest Missouri State University graduate worked at MDC’s Lost Valley Fish Hatchery, a warm-water hatchery in Warsaw.

“I am excited to continue to grow in my career with new opportunities,” Mifflin said. “I am also excited about the work I’m doing that will continue providing great fishing opportunities for the anglers of Missouri.”

The fish produced at Shepherd of the Hills and MDC’s other hatcheries around the state provide many recreational opportunities for anglers and pump millions of dollars annually into the state’s economy because of the revenue-producing opportunities they provide (meals, hotels, etc.) and the jobs that are created/supported because of these activities.

Mifflin can be reached at Sheldon.Mifflin@mdc.mo.gov. More about Shepherd of the Hills and MDC’s other hatcheries can be found at https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/fish-hatcheries.