Progress and Early Success of Large-Scale Conservation Aquaculture Production to Restore Kootenai River Burbot

In general, this presentation will discuss the progress of burbot conservation aquaculture as a viable population restoration tool, and will outline specifics that have resulted in the early success of the recently expanded Kootenai River Burbot conservation aquaculture program.  The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho’s Native Fish Conservation Aquaculture Program (KTOI-NFCAP) has been a leader in research to complete the burbot life-cycle in-hatchery, and to do so on a production scale that may result in meaningful wild population restoration.  In 2015 the program underwent a transition from smaller-scale laboratory production to a larger-scale production at a new facility with capacity to meet long-term restoration goals.  The new facility was designed to annually produce 125,000 6-months post-hatch juvenile Burbot averaging 100 mm total length and 5 – 10 g body weight for release to the Kootenai River, Idaho/British Columbia and to Kootenay Lake, British Columbia.  Burbot production during the first year at the new KTOI facility exceeded expectations and produced 262,000 6-months post-hatch juvenile Burbot that were released into the Kootenai River/Lake.   The Burbot were reared and released in a manner to support both population re-building and M&E activities to evaluate post-release performance of hatchery-reared Burbot throughout the recovery area.