The program’s mission is to protect and restore a robust fishery for Lake Roosevelt.
Lake Roosevelt is managed by three co-management entities, the Spokane Tribe of Indians (STI), the Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT), and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Their mission is to protect and restore a robust fishery for Lake Roosevelt.
The LRFEP (staffed by the Spokane Tribe of Indians) was formed in 1988 to evaluate the success of fish released by the Lake Roosevelt Artificial Production Program (LRAPP) and the effects of such releases on tribal subsistence, recreational fisheries, and the resident fish community. Co-managers coordinate their work closely with the Volunteer Net Pen Project, Eastern Washington University and others. The program is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration.
LRFEP activities:
- support conservation and stewardship of native species
- maintain and enhance recreational fisheries that are economically productive
- evaluate and monitor the health of the fishery
- provide subsistence fishing opportunities for Native American tribes
Activities include:
- creel surveys to estimate total catch and the economic value of the fishery
- fish tracking to determine effective release strategies for hatchery fish and to monitor wild fish movements and habitat use
- fish surveys such as electrofishing, gill netting, and trapping to assess the age, diet, growth, behavior, migration patterns and adult spawning activities
- lake studies to monitor water quality such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients and zooplankton populations
- computer modeling to simulate the effect of potential changes such as flow and lake elevation variables on reservoir conditions
LRFEP work is framed by the gates of Grand Coulee Dam being closed in 1942. Lake Roosevelt was created, and a novel environment took hold as the waters behind the dam rose 380 feet.
Anadromous salmon were blocked from this area; water flows, habitat conditions and lake elevations changed based on reservoir operations to meet flood control, irrigation, power, and downstream salmon needs; and non–native species such as walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike that compete with native species were introduced.
Extraordinary progress continues to be made, yet much work remains to be done.
