The Spokane Tribal Hatchery is one of 4 artificial production projects operated complementary of one another with the purpose of creating harvestable fisheries in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake (Grand Coulee Dam Impoundments).  The other artificial production components include the Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery and Lake Roosevelt Rainbow Trout Net Pen Projects.  The Spokane Tribe operates the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife operates the Sherman Creek and Ford Hatcheries while the Rainbow Trout Net Pen Project is operated by a volunteer group coordinated through the Lake Roosevelt Development Association.  

For 2009, the collective targeted release goal of the aforementioned 4 artificial production projects is 2.7 million kokanee fry, 475,000 kokanee yearlings and 750,000 rainbow trout yearlings for Lake Roosevelt and 1.4 million kokanee fingerlings for Banks Lake.  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.   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.   In regards to recent ISRP "fundable in part" recommendation of the kokanee production portion of this program, the Council has required management agencies to finalize a joint guidance document for further review by the ISRP and Council by September 2008.  This requirement was recently extended to January 31, 2009 to allow ample time for multi-agency technical and policy review (Tim Peone - 12/15/2008).