Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Program

Bonneville Power Administration, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Nez Perce Tribe propose a supplementation program to restore chinook salmon to the Clearwater River Subbasin in Idaho. The Clearwater River is a tributary to the Snake River, which empties into the Columbia River. The Final EIS includes a new alternative suggested by commentors to the Draft EIS. In the Proposed Action, the Nez Perce Tribe would build and operate two central incubation and rearing hatcheries and six satellite facilities. Spring and fall chinook salmon would be reared and acclimated to different areas in the Subbasin and released at the hatchery and satellite sites or in other watercourses throughout the Subbasin. The supplementation program differs from other hatchery programs because the fish would be released at different sizes and would return to reproduce naturally in the areas where they are released.