The Lake Roosevelt Hatcheries Coordination Team is responsible for directing hatchery and net pen operations. The artificial production program consists of four projects operated complementary of one another including the Spokane Tribal Hatchery, Sherman Creek Hatchery, Ford Trout Hatchery, and The Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pen Program. Each program has its own production goals to collectively produce up to 500,000 kokanee yearlings, between 1 and 4 million kokanee fry/fingerlings, and 750,000 rainbow trout yearlings for annual stocking into Lake Roosevelt and Banks Lake. When funding and stocks are available, the WDFW Colville Hatchery and Colville Confederated Tribes provide additional fish for Lake Roosevelt.

The Spokane Tribal Hatchery, located on the Spokane Tribal Reservation along Chamokane Creek at Galbraith Springs, was built in 1991 and used as the primary rearing facility (Peone 2008). Spokane stock triploid rainbow trout and Lake Whatcom stock kokanee eggs are obtained annually through WDFW allotments. When available, Meadow Creek stock kokanee eggs (British Columbia) are obtained. Eggs are incubated and fish are raised to fingerling size. All hatchery rainbow trout and kokanee are adipose fin clipped to distinguish them from wild fish. Some of the primary objectives of the Spokane Tribal Hatchery are to:

1. Incubate and rear kokanee and rainbow trout eggs and fry.
2. Transfer a portion of the kokanee and rainbow trout production to Sherman Creek Hatchery for spring and summer rearing.
3. Load fingerling sized rainbow trout in the fall to 46 net pens located throughout the reservoir for winter and spring rearing (in conjunction with the Sherman Creek Hatchery). Sites include: Keller Ferry, Seven Bays, Lincoln, Two Rivers, Hall Creek, Hunters, and Kettle Falls. Net pen rainbow trout are released in May or June depending on reservoir conditions. Each hatchery supplies approximately half the total number transferred (up to 750,000 total rainbow trout).
4. Release yearling kokanee at the Fort Spokane boat launch and below Little Falls Dam in late May to promote put-and-take summer kokanee fisheries (typically between 350,000 and 500,000 yearlings depending on egg availability and study designs).
5. Release spring kokanee fry of both stocks at various locations determined by the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Team. These sites change, however the current research plan (2009) is to focus on sites in the middle reservoir area (between 1-4 million fry).
6. Release kokanee fry into Banks Lake in late May (up to 400,000 kokanee).
7. Additional information at:
   a. Spokane Tribe of Indians Hatchery web page
   b. See Resource: Spokane Tribal Hatchery Annual Reports

The Sherman Creek Hatchery, operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), is located 3 miles west of Kettle Falls, Washington, on Lake Roosevelt. The hatchery was built in 1991 and currently serves as a rainbow trout and kokanee rearing facility as well as the principal white sturgeon spawning hatchery. Some of the primary objectives of the Sherman Creek Hatchery are to:

1. Obtain rainbow trout fingerlings from the Spokane Tribal Hatchery in June for summer rearing.
2. Load fingerling sized rainbow trout in the fall into 46 net pens located throughout the reservoir for winter and spring rearing (in conjunction with the Spokane Tribal Hatchery). Sites include: Keller Ferry, Seven Bays, Lincoln, Two Rivers, Hall Creek, Hunters, and Kettle Falls. Net pen rainbow trout are released in May or June depending on reservoir conditions. Each hatchery supplies approximately half the total number transferred (up to 750,000 total rainbow trout).
3. Maintain upper reservoir net pens throughout the winter and spring and coordinate with volunteers (maintenance and feeding).
4. Release upper reservoir net pens with hatchery rainbow trout in late May as yearlings (up to 375,000). Fish average 6 to 8 inches at release.
5. Assist with collection and spawning of redband trout.
6. Obtain a portion of the Phalon Lake stock rainbow trout (interior redband rainbow trout) from the WDFW Colville Hatchery in the spring for rearing and stocking into Lake Roosevelt.
7. Holding and spawning facility for adult white sturgeon during the spawning season (June - July).
8. Additional information:
   a. See Resource: Sherman Creek Hatchery Annual Reports

The Ford Trout Hatchery, maintained by WDFW and originally funded by Bureau of Reclamation, is located in Ford, Washington. The Ford Hatchery plays a key role is overall production for Lake Roosevelt. The purpose of this multi-agency program is to restore and enhance kokanee and rainbow trout populations in the impounded waters of Grand Coulee Dam (Lake Roosevelt and Banks lake) (Trump 2008). Some of the primary objectives of the WDFW Ford Hatchery, related to Lake Roosevelt, are to:

1. Produces up to 700,000 fall fry kokanee to be released into Banks Lake. A portion of the kokanee are released at the mouth of Northrup Creek and a portion go into the net pens at Electric City. The net pen reared fish are released in the spring as yearlings.
2. Use Meadow Creek stock kokanee for Banks Lake when available.
3. Produces up to 80,000 pounds of trout and kokanee. The bulk of the production provides the fish used to produce recreational fisheries in the Spokane and surrounding area lowland lakes.
4. Additional information:
   a. See Resource: Ford Trout Hatchery Annual Reports

The WDFW Colville Hatchery is located in Colville Washington. This hatchery serves multiple functions for WDFW, but directly assists Lake Roosevelt through the collection and rearing of redband rainbow trout. The Phalon Lake stock is utilized by the Lake Roosevelt managers to promote a resident trout strain native to the upper Columbia and therefore works toward the objective of sustaining native fisheries. Some of the objectives of the WDFW Colville Hatchery, related to Lake Roosevelt, are to:

1. Collect yearling redband rainbow trout from the Kettle River tributaries that have been tested to be redband rainbow trout through genetics sampling. These fish are released into a closed system lake (Phalon Lake) and left to mature (1-3 years). Additions to the lake are maintained at a level to ensure the genetic diversity of the brood population is maintained within the lake.
2. In the spring, mature red band trout are collected in a trap and spawned on site. Eggs are transferred to the WDFW Colville Hatchery for incubation and rearing.
3. Fingerling sized fish are transferred to the Kettle Falls net pens in the fall for winter and spring rearing.
4. These fish are held over the summer and into the following spring before release because tagging research indicated a significant increase in harvest levels for fish held over compared to those released prior to the spring draw down.
5. Additional information:
   a. See Resource: Sherman Creek Hatchery Annual Reports

The Lake Roosevelt Volunteer Net Pen Program was initiated in 1985 by Mr. Winn Self, owner of the Seven Bays Marina. He released 5,000 trout from one net pen that year. Prompted by the excellent harvest and growth rates of the net pen reared fish and limited space at the hatcheries, changes were incorporated at the hatcheries to rear 500,000 rainbow trout for Lake Roosevelt net pens. Today there are 46 net pens located throughout the reservoir that holds up to 750,000 rainbow trout. Net pens are usually filled in the fall, and the fish released the following May/June. Volunteers feed the fish daily, assist with the spring release after the reservoir begins to refill following the spring drawdown, and clean and maintain nets. Lake Roosevelt has one of the largest volunteer net pen projects in the country.