Plural of hatchery; facilities where eggs, especially fish or poultry eggs, are incubated and hatched under controlled conditions.
From hatch + -ery (a place where something is done), becoming common in the 1800s as industrialized breeding and fish farming emerged.
Modern fish hatcheries are incredible operations—some produce millions of fish eggs per year, and scientists can control temperature and light to trick fish into breeding year-round, which would be impossible in nature!
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