This project is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration under directives by the Northwest Power Conservation Councils Columbia River Basin Fish & Wildlife Program, Resident Fish Substitution Measures, 1987 to current (Subbasin Plan), as partial mitigation for anadromous and resident fish losses in the blocked areas above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams.  Sherman Creek Hatchery provides artificial production on Lake Roosevelt consistent with the Lake Roosevelt Guiding Document and the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Project (LRFEP) recommendations. This proposal was prepared through the collective assistance of the entire Lake Roosevelt Fishery Enhancement Projects with the LRFEP as project lead.

The Sherman Creek Hatchery (SCH) is one of two facilities provided to partially mitigate for the loss of anadromous and resident fish due to the construction of Columbia River mainstem dams. The intent of this project is to continue working with the Lake Roosevelt artificial production projects to provide readily accessible sport and Tribal subsistence fisheries that are compatible and beneficial to the ecological conditions in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake (Grand Coulee Dam impoundments). It is located immediately adjacent to Lake Roosevelt at the mouth of Sherman Creek. This is three miles west of Kettle Falls, Washington and 101 miles upstream from Grand Coulee Dam.

SCH consisting of three large concrete raceways and support facilities was constructed by BPA in 1991, and became operational in April 1992 with first releases later that year. In 1999 SCH added twenty net pens at river mile 699 to facilitate increased rearing capabilities on Lake Roosevelt. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) performs annual operations and maintenance with funding provided by BPA. In 1991 BPA and WDFW entered into a non-discretionary 25-year Memorandum of Agreement to fund the operations and maintenance.

Current operations under this project include use of native / indigenous stocks for propagation into Upper Columbia River Basin Waters to include native Kootenay Lake kokanee salmon from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of British Columbia.

The intent of this project is to continue working with the Lake Roosevelt artificial production projects to provide readily accessible sport and Tribal subsistence fisheries that are compatible and beneficial to the ecological conditions in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake (Grand Coulee Dam impoundments). Artificial production has been determined a feasible method for sustaining viable fisheries in Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Spokane Tribe, Colville Confederated Tribes and Lake Roosevelt Development Association/Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pen Project are cooperating in a comprehensive artificial production program to produce kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) for annual releases into the project area. The program consists of the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery and Lake Roosevelt Rainbow Trout Net Pen Projects. The Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake Fisheries Evaluation Programs monitor and evaluate release strategies and production methods for the aforementioned projects.

Between 1985 and 2011 the collective projects have annually produced up to 800,000 rainbow trout and 4 million kokanee salmon for release into Lake Roosevelt and 1.4 million kokanee fry for Banks Lake.

The current annual release goals include: 250,000 kokanee yearlings and 750,000 rainbow trout yearlings for the project area.

All egg transfers will be spawned and shipped under current WDFW fish culture guidelines which include density, and fish health specifications found in part in US Fish & Wildlife Service, Fish Hatchery Management Manual, Piper, R.G., 1982.

State, tribes and federal government have developed a fish and egg health policy that sets standards for all fish production facilities in the state. The policy requires testing of fish and eggs before transferring them to another hatchery or planting them in streams outside their native waters. This policy regulates approximately 40 tribal facilities and more than 100 state and federal hatcheries. It is designed to prevent the spread of diseases among salmon in the state. Washington State Co-managers Fish Health Manual (WDFW, 1996).

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Western Washington Treaty Indian Tribes. 1998. Co-managers of Washington fish health policy. Fish Health Division, Hatcheries Program. Washington Dept. Fish and Wildlife, Olympia.