1.
hatchery; hatching facility
A facility where eggs — most commonly those of fish, chickens, or other birds — are incubated and hatched under controlled conditions. Used in fisheries, poultry farming, and conservation programs for releasing young fish or birds into the wild.
この町には鮭の孵化場がある。
This town has a salmon hatchery.
孵化場で育てた稚魚を川に放流した。
We released young fish raised at the hatchery into the river.
地元の漁業協同組合が孵化場を運営している。
The local fisheries cooperative operates the hatchery.
絶滅の危機にある魚を守るため、専門の孵化場が各地に作られている。
Specialized hatcheries are being built around the country to protect fish that are in danger of extinction.
Composed of 孵化 (hatching, incubation) and the suffix -場 (place, site, facility). Refers to a physical site where eggs are hatched on an industrial or large scale, most often in the context of fisheries (水産) or poultry.
USAGE:
Most commonly heard in news reports and technical writing about fisheries and conservation, where salmon and trout hatcheries are a familiar institution in Japan. It can also describe bird and insect breeding facilities, but for household pets or small-scale hobby breeding, speakers usually prefer 孵卵器 (incubator) or simply describe the setup. The -場 suffix emphasizes the facility as a whole rather than a single piece of equipment.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 鮭の孵化場: salmon hatchery
- 孵化場を運営する: to operate a hatchery
- 孵化場で育てる: to raise at a hatchery
- 稚魚を孵化場から放流する: to release young fish from a hatchery
- 国営孵化場: state-run hatchery
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 孵卵器: incubator — the machine or apparatus used to incubate eggs, not a facility
- 養殖場: aquaculture farm — where fish are farmed to maturity, often downstream of a hatchery
- 種苗{センター}: fry/seedling center — an official term for a government-run fish-breeding center
- 養鶏場: poultry farm — raises chickens, sometimes including a hatching operation