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Our Fish Story Brochure

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Our Fish Story Brochure Our Fish Story Idaho Power’s Fish Conservation Program IDAHO POWER FISH FACILITIES COLUMBIA RIVER A Hells Canyon Fish Trap Water B Oxbow Hatchery C Rapid River Hatchery WASHINGTON D Niagara Springs Hatchery E Pahsimeroi Hatchery 7 8 6 5 Since 1916, water provided Idaho Power COLUMBIA RIVER 4 customers with low-cost, clean hydroelectric 1 2 3 energy. And for longer than that, it provided OREGON A 1 SALMON RIVER some of the best fishing in the country. FEDERAL IDAHO POWER B 2 C HYDRO PROJECTS HYDRO PROJECTS Some people, though, wonder if the 3 two uses can live together. While there 1 Bonneville 1 Hells Canyon 10 Lower Salmon are many complex challenges involving 4 2 The Dalles 2 Oxbow 11 Upper Salmon E dams and electricity generation and the Payette 3 John Day 3 Brownlee 12 Thousand Springs impacts they have on the health of the 4 McNary 4 Cascade 13 Clear Lake northwest fisheries, Idaho Power remains committed to environmental stewardship 5 Ice Harbor 5 Swan Falls 14 Shoshone Falls Boise IDAHO to maintain balance between energy 6 L. Monumental 6 C.J. Strike 15 Twin Falls generation and protection and enhance- 5 7 Little Goose 7 Bliss 16 Milner 9 ment of Snake River fishery resources. 6 17 8 Lower Granite 8 Lower Malad 17 American Falls 7 8 12 Pocatello 10 13 9 D Upper Malad SNAKE RIVER 11 15 16 14 Twin Falls Idaho Power’s Fish Development of Conservation Program Chinook Salmon 2. Eyed Eggs In 1955, Idaho Power began construction simple, yet revolutionary idea –develop Photo by Jeff Heindel, IDFG of the most ambitious engineering effort a hatchery program to transfer the Snake 3. Sac Fry/Alevin in its history—the three-dam Hells Can- River’s natural salmon and steelhead yon Complex (HCC) on the Snake River. runs to the undammed Salmon River, the 1. Green Eggs According to the federal license that was Snake’s largest tributary. Years later, the issued for the project, Idaho Power was plan would expand to include releases of mandated to preserve the anadromous salmon and steelhead in the Snake River fish (fish that spawn in fresh water, -mi below Hells Canyon Dam. Idaho Power grate to salt water to reach adulthood and hoped that the hatchery program would 4. Swim-Up Fry return to freshwater to spawn) runs that mitigate for the loss of upstream runs would be affected by this hydroelectric associated with construction of the Hells development. Canyon Complex and continue to provide To comply with the mandate, the com- a resource to the people of the Northwest. pany launched an experimental program The government agencies approved using traps and trucks to ferry the salmon the plan and the ambitious hatchery and steelhead around the dams. The plan program began. had the cooperation of everyone involved The new program required the construc- 8. Spawning Adult except one very important group—the tion of four fish hatcheries. Fully funded fish. Smolts, on their way downriver from by Idaho Power, the hatcheries were, and their spawning beds, could not or would continue to be, staffed and operated by not swim through Brownlee Reservoir to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. the trap above Brownlee Dam. The slack It’s a substantial investment for the com- 5. Fingerling/Parr water was like a wall and the tiny salmon pany but the program yields large gains and steelhead could not climb it. in its ability to release millions of salmon 7. Adult The company, along with federal and and steelhead into the Snake and Salmon 6. Smolt state fishery officials, agreed upon a rivers and their tributaries each year. How Our Hatcheries Work Our hatcheries focus on maintaining abundant salmon and steelhead populations for Rapid River Hatchery the purpose of providing harvest opportunities to both recreational anglers and tra- Tucked within a tributary of the main two to three feet longer and 15 to 20 ditional Native American fishers. Our hatchery program relies on returning hatchery- Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho, the pounds heavier. origin adults that can be captured and artificially spawned to produce the next genera- Rapid River Hatchery is the largest tion of fish. As the returning adults fight their way collection, spawning and rearing facility back to Rapid River, they are collected at After capture, adult fish are held in large holding ponds until they are ready to be of spring Chinook salmon in Idaho. It has a man-made barrier near the hatchery. spawned. The females’ eggs are harvested, fertilized and incubated using leading- the ability to produce 3 million juvenile They are transferred to a holding pond edge techniques to maximize egg viability and disease control. Once the eggs hatch, spring Chinook salmon annually. until it’s time to gather and fertilize the the young fish are reared and fed at the hatcheries in large raceways or ponds until Juvenile spring Chinook salmon spend eggs. In roughly two years, long after they are ready to be released back into the rivers where they can migrate to the ocean almost two years at Rapid River. They these adults have died, the cycle begins to live and grow. grow to a length of four to six inches and again with the release of their offspring are then released for their 45- to 60-day, into Rapid River, the Little Salmon River Oxbow Hatchery 600-mile journey to the ocean. At this and the Snake River below Hells Canyon Located downstream from the Oxbow of development here. They are delivered In 2000, Idaho Power added raceways to point, the juvenile salmon are referred Dam. Of those released, about one-half Dam powerhouse at the mouth of Pine to the Niagara Springs Hatchery to hatch rear up to 200,000 fall Chinook salmon to as smolts. One to three years later, as of one percent can be expected to make Creek, the Oxbow Hatchery is a holding and grow for approximately 11 months for release below Hells Canyon Dam. adults, they return to the hatchery ready it back to Idaho as adults. and spawning facility for adult steelhead before they are ready for release into the The company also funds the production to spawn. While in the ocean, they grow migrating up the Snake River above Snake below Hells Canyon Dam. of an additional 800,000 fall Chinook Rapid River Hatchery its confluence with the Salmon River. Spring Chinook salmon that return to salmon at a non-Idaho Power Company Steelhead are collected in a trap at Hells Hells Canyon are also held at Oxbow for hatchery located in Oregon. Each year, Canyon Dam, and are held to maturity at a short time but then are transferred to a combined total of up to 1,000,000 Oxbow then stripped of their eggs. the company’s Rapid River Hatchery for juvenile fall Chinook salmon are released Slightly more than one million eggs are spawning. into the Snake River below Hells Canyon fertilized and go through their first stages Dam. Pahsimeroi Hatchery Niagara Springs Hatchery The Pahsimeroi River slides through The Niagara Springs Hatchery, located in a peaceful valley near the east central the Hagerman Valley of southern Idaho, Idaho town of Challis. The hatchery once is one of America’s largest privately- specialized in only steelhead, but in 1981 owned steelhead rearing facilities with raceways and ponds were built for raising a production goal of nearly 2 million Chinook salmon. Today, approximately smolts annually. Named after the spring one million smolts are released into the that feeds it, the hatchery’s water is Pahsimeroi River each year. warmer than that in which naturally spawned steelhead grow up. This ideal For steelhead, the Pahsimeroi Hatchery Pahsimeroi Hatchery environment allows the fish to achieve is used as a maternity ward. Over one the equivalent of two year’s growth in million eggs are collected, fertilized and just one year. developed to the point at which they can be handled safely, then transferred to Conditions at Niagara Springs are strictly the Niagara Springs Hatchery where they controlled. When eggs arrive from the Niagara Springs Hatchery are raised to the release stage—six to ten Oxbow or Pahsimeroi hatcheries, they inches. Eleven months after arriving at are disinfected, placed in incubators and Niagara Springs, the smolts are returned remain there until they have hatched and When they reach release size, the fish are The Niagara Springs Hatchery has proven to the Pahsimeroi River for release. developed into fry approximately one placed in 5,000 gallon steel tank trucks to be a tremendous asset in the rearing of inch in length. They are later transferred and transported to release sites in the juvenile steelhead. In the wild, less than to large, concrete raceways where they Snake, Little Salmon and Pahsimeroi 5 percent of the eggs hatch and survive are fed a special, high nutrient diet. rivers. The water temperature in the to migrate to the ocean. At Niagara, more Hatchery workers monitor bacterial and tanks is lowered to slow the fish’s meta- than 80 percent of the eggs received from viral levels and maintain strict standards bolic rate allowing them to be transport- Pahsimeroi and Oxbow hatcheries sur- of cleanliness. ed with minimal stress. vive to make their ocean journey. Activities At Idaho Power Hatcheries JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Oxbow Hatchery Pahsimeroi Hatchery Trap adult steelhead Trap adult steelhead Spawn adult steelhead Spawn adult steelhead Incubate steelhead eggs Incubate steelhead eggs Ship steelhead eggs to Niagara Springs Ship steelhead eggs to Niagara Springs Trap adult spring Chinook Trap adult summer Chinook Haul adult spring Chinook to Rapid
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