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 area have been 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 goal of the Colville Tribal Hatchery has always been to provide artificial enhancement of Reservation fisheries for both tribal subsistence fisheries and non member sport fisheries.   Whenever possible the goal has been to provide "carry-over" fisheries rather than "put-and-take" fisheries.

In 2009 the switch from coastal stocks of rainbow trout to native redband rainbow trout was completed.  The hatchery now maintains redband broodstock of four age classes.  In order to maintain genetic variability, redband broodstock are supplemented annual with wild caught redbands which are genetically tested for pureness.  There are several consequences of this shift, some of which have made hatchery production more difficult.  Specific changes and goals for the 2001-2012 period are:
1.  Continue the development of a production plan that utilizes redband rainbow as the primary rainbow trout stocked into Reservation waters.
2.  Continue to develop a Hatchery Production Plan that matches hatchery production with the carrying capacity of Reservation waters.  This plan must take into account the purchase of large triploid rainbow trout from local aquaculture facilities, the production of redbands in net pens (project 2008-117-00) and the capabilities of the Colville Tribal Hatchery.
3.  Improve the quality of the fish produced by the hatchery.  In most cases this will mean the production of larger fish, but more importantly it will mean production of fish most likely to ultimately become part of the fishery..  Success will be measured by decreasing mortality rates, higher carryover rates, lower mortality and increased growth and relative weights.
4.  Complete hatchery water system repairs that were begun in 2009.
5.  Complete the limnological study of Owhi Lake.
6. Begin the fishery study of Buffalo Lake.