The cultural and spiritual relationship between Native People of the Pacific Northwest and salmon is central to their society.  Historically, the upper Columbia River Basin was home to anadromous fish species.  However, fish passage in the Columbia River was blocked by the construction of Grand Coulee (1939; river km 960) and Chief Joseph dams (1956; river km 877).

The extirpation of these fish from the upper Columbia River Basin eliminated many subsistence fishing opportunities for Native American Tribes and First Nations in Canada.  However, relict freshwater resident populations of historically anadromous fish still exist in Lake Roosevelt including kokanee salmon (lacustrine Sockeye Salmon).  Native fish perform a critical role in the ecosystems health and function.  The Chief Joseph Kokanee Enhancement Project (CJKEP) was amended into the Council's Fish and Wildlife program during the 1995 amendment.  The goal of the CJKEP is to protect and enhance the naturally producing kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka populations above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams in an effort to support the tribal subsistence and non-tribal recreational sport fisheries.  The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation (CTCR) work cooperatively with the co-managers of Lake Roosevelt to enhance native fish populations and provide fishing opportunities.

Since its inception, the CJKEP has focused on identifying and addressing limiting factors for naturally produced kokanee.  Previous research focused on entrainment at Grand Coulee Dam, quantifying kokanee spawning habitat, basin wide genetics database, water quality monitoring in key tributaries, and non-native fish predation impacts.

The Lake Roosevelt kokanee population is comprised of multiple wild and hatchery kokanee stocks. The wild kokanee stocks are a mix of wild Lake Roosevelt kokanee, native stocks that emigrated from Canada (Arrow and Kootenay lakes), and non-native kokanee stocks that emigrated from Pend Oreille and Coeur d’ Alene lakes in Idaho.  We have genetically cataloged the majority of the kokanee stocks which enables us to genetically identify kokanee collected by research groups or harvested by anglers in Lake Roosevelt. Data gaps still exist in the Kootenay River drainage system and the upper most reaches of the Columbia River near Revelstoke and Kinbasket reservoirs.  This data assists the co-managers with establishing harvest regulations that protect native fish, while providing harvest opportunities for non-native kokanee.  

The spawning locations for wild Lake Roosevelt kokanee are unknown, which hinder conservation efforts.  To date, large numbers of wild kokanee have not been detected spawning in tributary streams, leading biologists to hypothesize the wild populations are utilizing deep water spawning habitat at depths below the drawdown elevations (> 17 m) or migrate to the free flowing sections of the Columbia River in Canada below Hugh Keenleyside Dam.  The project is currently utilizing acoustic telemetry and, when funding allows, microchemistry techniques to provide information on the spawning locations.

Wild kokanee were observed utilized Barnaby Creek and the Sanpoil River in 2023. The BPA funded culvert replacement at Barnaby Creek has allowed fall spawning fish to access Barnaby Creek. Between 2013-2016, kokanee egg plants were used to meet project conservation objectives. However, the project only had access to coastal Lake Whatcom kokanee that did not perform in the upper Columbia River (see page 11; Project Proposal) . Egg plants were suspended until a native upper Colombia River stock could be found. Through our DNA analysis we have determined that the population of early run kokanee in Lake Chelan are decedents of Meadow Creek stock, which are native to the Kootenay Lake, British Columbia. Studies comparing Meadow Creek and Lake Whatcom stocks in the early 2000’s indicated the upper Columbia River native stock out-performed the coastal stock in Lake Roosevelt. Now that a local upper Columbia River stock has been located and is available, we wanted to re-establish the kokanee egg plant Objectives, which meet the Project Goal of conserve and enhancement of wild kokanee populations above Chief Joseph Dam.  

Non-native predatory fish have been shown to negatively affect the survival of native fish including kokanee and Redband Trout in Lake Roosevelt.  Suppressing these populations in the Sanpoil Arm, a key salmonid migration corridor, has been a priority for this project.  Suppression has been successful, however when suppression stops, predators repopulate the area.  Predator removal is a constant battle that requires constant attention and effort to be successful.

The 2024 Project Objectives are:

Objective 1.  Monitor wild kokanee abundance and exploitation.
Task 1.  Monitor kokanee adult escapement to the Sanpoil River and other select tributaries.
Task 2.  Collect and analyze DNA tissue samples collected from the Lake Roosevelt creel surveys to determine kokanee stock exploitation.
Task 3. Collect and analyze DNA tissue samples from wild kokanee collected in the Sanpoil weir, standard Lake Roosevelt surveys, and kokanee/Sockeye collected in the Chief Joseph Hatchery Ladder.
Task 4.  Fill data gaps currently in the basin wide kokanee genetics database.  

Objective 2.  Identify key reservoir habitat areas that support wild kokanee for rearing and spawning.
Task 1. Monitor water temperature in key tributaries and reservoir locations to identify potential limiting factors using temperature loggers, dissolved oxygen loggers and a drone outfitted with temperature sensors.

Objective 3.  Reduce non-native fish predator impacts on native salmonids.  
Task 1.  Conduct a non-native predator reduction programs in key salmonid migration corridors in Lake Roosevelt.  

Objective 4. Supplement the Sanpoil River and Barnaby Creek with kokanee eggs (meets Project Goal Page 23 of proposal).
Task 1. Coordinate with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to collect early run kokanee eggs from Stehiken, the tributary at the north end of Lake Chelan, Washington.
Task 2. Coordinate with WDFW to utilize the WDFW Chelan Hatchery to hold the eggs until eye-up
Task 3. Transfer eggs to the Sanpoil River and Barnaby Creek streamside incubation boxes.
Task 4. Monitoring survival and out-migration of kokanee.

Any fish that is killed as a result of our activities and adequate for human consumption are provided to the Colville Tribal Membership for subsistence. Results from the above projects will assist the co-managers of Lake Roosevelt with managing both hatchery and wild kokanee populations found above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams.