Chief Joseph Hatchery Program: A Comprehensive Approach to Conservation and Harvest

The Chief Joseph Hatchery Program is one of the first large scale hatchery projects designed to embrace hatchery reform efforts and HSRG recommendations. Beginning in 2001, under the guidelines of the Congressional Hatchery Reform Act, the Chief Joseph Hatchery began the arduous process of seeking approval for construction. The first of its kind, subject to review under the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 3-step Master Plan process, and approval by the ISRP, facility construction began in 2010.

The purpose of the CJH Program hatchery is to support Tribal and Non-Tribal harvest opportunities, consistent with the natural production goals.  It seeks to find the balance between artificial and natural production and attempts to address the often conflicting goals of increased harvest and conservation of naturally occurring populations. The program is supported by a rigorous and comprehensive RM&E science division, annual production planning, aggressive adult management via a select harvest purse seine, and a weir on the Okanogan River. Through this multifaceted approach, the Chief Joseph Hatchery Program strives to achieve a scientifically defensible and socially acceptable hatchery program that provides restoration of ceremonial and subsistence fishing opportunities for the Colville Confederated Tribes, and increased harvest opportunities for all.