The Colville Tribal Hatchery was built in 1989 and is over 20 years old. It was designed to produce 50,000 pounds of trout annually. Two additional permanent and two temporary raceways were constructed but no improvements or expansion was made to the water system. Consequently, insufficient water and space are available to meet all the diverse stocking requirements of boundary waters, lakes and streams on the Colville Reservation.
Several options for expanding facilities were investigated. It was concluded that the most practical and cost effective option was to contract with a local aquaculture facility to rear additional production and lessen the load on the hatchery and its water system. The primary goal of this project is to supplement hatchery production to assist in meeting resident fish stocking goals. Project provides more harvest opportunities to tribal members for subsistence and ceremonial use and provides a recreational sport fishery for tribal and non-tribal members alike.