The Eagle Fish Hatchery is a great success story for @bonnevillepower's hatchery program and is also a great collaborative effort with the State of Idaho’s programs. I visited the hatchery on Wednesday and want to thank @IdahoFishGame & specifically Jim Fredericks and Travis Brown for the tour, which easily tripled my knowledge of how these operations work.
Built in the late 1940s, Eagle Hatchery was part of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's resident trout program until the late 1980s.
In 1991, Eagle Hatchery was reconfigured to accommodate the Snake River sockeye salmon captive broodstock program. This program was initiated to prevent the extinction of Idaho sockeye salmon, which so dwindled that one hanger-on was nicknamed Lonesome Larry. This program worked to conserve critical genetic information and ultimately increase the abundance of sockeye returns to the Snake River.
The Eagle Hatchery is 100% funded with federal dollars provided through the Bonneville Power Administration, about $1.6M annually.
Looking at the bigger picture, Bonneville has a robust hatchery program. We funded the construction of more than 20 hatcheries in the Basin, and we currently fund the operation and maintenance of those hatcheries. I am proud of the role we play to help fish and wildlife affected by the Federal Columbia River Power System and thereby promote the rivers' many purposes, including sustainable hydropower.
Thank you also to Jeff Allen & Ed Schriever, the Idaho members of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council for joining the tour and participating in a rich conversation on Power issues afterwards. It was great to meet Matt Edmondson, the governor's deputy administrator for the Office of Species, Minerals, and Energy Coordination as well. Idaho is a great partner in our mission to provide reliable and affordable power to the region!