Federal hydropower projects, as well as private power utility systems, have had a devastating impact upon anadromous fish resources that once flourished in the Columbia River and it's tributaries.  Several areas have been completely blocked to anadromous fish by dams, destroying the primary food resource (salmon) for many native people; forcing them to rely heavily upon resident fish to replace these lost resources.  The Colville Tribal Fish Hatchery is an artificial production program that addresses the loss of anadromous fish resources in the Upper Columbia Sub-Region within the "blocked area" created by the construction of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams.  This project enhances resident fisheries located in the Intermountain and Columbia Cascade Provinces, specifically within the Colville Reservation portion of the Upper Columbia, San Poil and Okanogan Sub-Basins.  The project particularly mitigates for anadromous fish losses through protection/augmentation of resident fish populations to enhance fishery potential (i.e. in-place, out-of-kind mitigation).  The Colville Tribal Hatchery (CTH) is located on the northern bank of the Columbia River just down stream of the town of Bridgeport, Washington on land owned by the Colville Tribes.  The minimum production quota for this facility is 22,679 kg (50,000 lbs.) of trout annually.

All fish produced are released into reservation waters, including boundary waters, in an effort to provide a successful subsistence/recreational fishery for Colville Tribal members and provide for a successful non-member sport fishery.  The majority of the fish distributed from the facility are intended to support "carry-over" fisheries.  Fish produced at the facility are intended to be of sufficient quality and quantity to meet specific monitoring and evaluation goals and objectives outlined in the 2006 Statement of Work Goal.

The goal of the project as stated in the 2006 Statement Of Work (SOW) was to provide artificial production of fish that will help support and enhance tribal subsistence fisheries and non-tribal recreational sport fisheries within the Colville Reservation, including it's boundary waters.  The majority of the hatchery production provide "carry-over" fisheries rather than "put-and-take" fisheries.