New hatchery to help with recovery of Snake River sockeye

State, federal and tribal officials will gather on Friday just outside Springfield to mark the completion of a new hatchery that will take the recovery of Snake River sockeye to a new level.

"This is a great example of how constructive collaboration can work - work for the species and work for the people we serve," Gov. Butch Otter said. "Idaho has a lot of aquaculture expertise, and using hatcheries like this to help boost the runs is a smart investment."

The $13.5 million facility will be capable of producing up to 1 million juvenile sockeye annually for release in the Sawtooth Basin of central Idaho, the headwaters of the Salmon River. The additional capacity will move the sockeye recovery effort from the conservation phase to a re-colonization phase where emphasis will be on returning increasing numbers of ocean-run adults to use in hatchery spawning and to release to the natural habitat to spawn.

The increase in adult fish may eventually mean recreational and tribal fishing seasons.

"Opening this hatchery is a big step toward continuing to bring back Idaho's unique sockeye," Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore said. "With the help and support of our partners in this effort, we look forward to the day when we can set a sockeye season for Idaho's tribal and recreational anglers."

The hatchery is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration as part of its obligation to mitigate the impact of hydropower dams on salmon and steelhead. It will be operated by IDFG.

With the number of Snake River sockeye returning to Idaho dropping, IDFG initiated conservation and research efforts for sockeye in early 1991. Later that year, NOAA-Fisheries listed the Snake River sockeye as an endangered species.

In 1992, a single male sockeye returned, dubbed Lonesome Larry, by then-Gov. Cecil Andrus.

In 1995 and again in 1997, the number of adult sockeye returning from the ocean to the Sawtooth Basin dropped to zero.

But by 2010, it had reached 1,336, a number not seen since the 1950s.