The Spokane Tribal Hatchery is one component of 4 artificial production projects operated complementary of one another as part of a program to restore and enhance the Grand Coulee impoundment fisheries (Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake).  The other artificial production components include the Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery and the Lake Roosevelt Kokanee and Rainbow Trout Net Pen Projects.  The Spokane Tribe operates the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, the WDF&W operates the Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery and the Kokanee Net Pen Project and the Lake Roosevelt Development Association operates the Rainbow Trout Net Pen Project.  The goal of this project is to participate in a program to restore and enhance the Grand Coulee impoundments (Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake) fisheries.  The objective of this project is to produce kokanee salmon and rainbow trout to provide a harvestable fishery in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake.  Each project has its own production goal to collectively produce up to 500,000 kokanee yearlings, 3 million kokanee fry and 500,000 rainbow trout yearlings for annual stocking into Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake.  Operationally, the Spokane Tribal Hatchery will initially culture up to 4 million kokanee eggs and 625,000 rainbow trout eggs (December to February), and assuming a 80% or better survival rate from incubation to feeding fry (March), approximately 3 million kokanee fry and 500,000 rainbow trout are produced.  In terms of kokanee production and release, 300,000 kokanee fingerlings are released into Banks Lake May-June and 500,000 are held/carried over at the Spokane Tribal Hatchery for release as yearlings the following year, May to June.  In terms of rainbow trout, 250,000 are transferred to the Sherman Creek Hatchery project in July and 250,000 are transferred to the Lake Roosevelt Rainbow Trout Net Pen project September to November.  Fish production and distribution specifics are listed in the following objectives and tasks.  Fishery managers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Spokane Tribe of Indians and Colville Confederated Tribes comprise the Lake Roosevelt Hatcheries Coordination Team responsible for directing hatchery and net pen rearing operations.  Performance and evaluation of hatchery and net pen reared fish released into the project area and the impact on the biota is monitored and evaluated by the Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake Fisheries Evaluation Programs.  

This project adheres to the Northwest Power Planning Council's Resident Fish Substitution Policies/Measures of its Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program including the Biological Objectives Measures to mitigate for hydropower related fish losses in the blocked area above Chief Joseph/Grand Coulee Dams (see NPPC citations in Section 3).   Further more, since this project is in a blocked area where Anadromous fish cannot return and existing populations of naturally producing fish (including native species replica) are limited by reservoir operations (e.g. normal and ESA/Bi-Op mandated salmon flow measures, flood control) this project is identified as a "high priority" to meet the Council's Fish and Wildlife Program measure's for Lake Roosevelt as well as the fishery management objectives outlined in the Inter-Mountain Lake Roosevelt Sub basin Summary.  As noted in the summary, fishery management objectives and limiting factors for the Lake Roosevelt fisheries resource necessitates this project in conjunction with the Sherman Creek Hatchery and the Lake Roosevelt Rainbow Trout Net Pen Rearing Projects.