This project addresses losses of anadromous fish and limited sustainable resident fisheries in Lake Roosevelt caused by the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).  This project will expand the capability of The Spokane Tribal Hatchery during a transition of ownership and operation of the Ford Hatchery from WDFW to the Spokane Tribe of Indians. The Spokane Tribal Hatchery is one of four aquaculture projects forming the Lake Roosevelt Hatcheries Program (LRHP).  Associated LRHP projects include the Sherman Creek and Ford Trout Hatcheries, operated by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Lake Roosevelt Rainbow Trout Net Pen Program, operated by a coordinator and volunteers of the Lake Roosevelt Development Association.  Collectively, the LRHP program is tasked with producing triploid rainbow trout to support a segregated harvest program for Tribal subsistence and sport fisheries.  Annual production and release strategies are decided by the Lake Roosevelt Hatcheries Coordination Team (LRHCT), a group comprised of fisheries staff from the Spokane Tribe, Colville Confederated Tribes and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  The LRHCT utilizes recommendations from the Lake Roosevelt Data Collection Program (LRDC), tasked with monitoring and evaluating performance of LRHP releases.  Decisions are made in accordance with strategies outlined in the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Guiding Document (LRGD), a living document developed by co-managers with a logic path to adapt to new circumstances and connect the various Lake Roosevelt fisheries projects goals for fisheries protection, restoration, and enhancement.  Hatchery rainbow trout production consistently meets harvest objectives.  

The Spokane Tribal Hatchery is primarily funded by Bonneville Power Administration under provisional requirements of the 1980 Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Act but also annually seeks cost share funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs for incorporating innovative aquaculture techniques and supporting unmet operational and maintenance needs.