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Kootenai Tribe opening new
Twin Rivers hatchery facility |
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October 6, 2014 |
There once was a time when the Kootenai River
was swimming with sturgeon, and teeming with
burbot, a species of freshwater cod.
They were so abundant in the river, that burbot,
for example, were often caught in large
quantities. This was most often done in the
wintertime, when one could cut a hole in the ice
and put up a baited setline. Very often the
burbot would be caught in the west side
tributaries of the Kootenai, such as Smith Creek
or Boundary Creek. Cutting a hole in the ice
there would often reveal many burbot simply
laying under the ice. The two to three foot long
cod were often speared, and brought home loaded
up in sleighs, or filled into gunnysacks.
The populations of sturgeon and burbot in the
river constituted a valuable social, economic,
and sustenance fishery for generations for the
Kootenai Tribe and later for others who settled
in the area.
For a variety of reasons, over the last 50 years
or so, populations of Kootenai River's white
sturgeon, the burbot, and other fish species
have suffered a marked decline. In 1994, the
sturgeon of the Kootenai was listed as an
endangered species. The burbot of the Kootenai
River was proposed for Endangered Species Act
listing in 2000, but were not listed as they did
not meet the Act's "Distinct Population Segment"
criteria. Still, burbot is now in such low
numbers, the fish is considered to be
functionally extinct in the Kootenai River.
Back in 1989, the Kootenai Tribe began their
aquaculture program dedicated toward
conservation of the Kootenai River white
sturgeon. Their efforts met with significant
success, and later the Tribe, working with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Kootenai
Valley Resource Initiative, the Idaho Department
of Fish and Game, the University of Idaho's
Aquaculture Research Institute, the Bonneville
Power Administration, and the British Columbia
Ministry of Environment, along with other
stakeholders, began efforts toward recovery of
the Kootenai River burbot population.
The first problem they ran into: there was
really no information on the aquaculture of
burbot. Since there was no manual on how to do
this, they had to write the manual.
Over the next several years, working with their
partners, systems were developed for the
aquaculture of burbot. Through research, and
using known and innovative new methods
determined through experimentation at the
Kootenai Tribe's fish hatchery and elsewhere,
techniques were developed involving burbot
spawning, egg incubation, larval and juvenile
rearing, and other important facets of raising
burbot. Also, studies of disease susceptibility
of burbots were done in order to best prepare
for eventual stocking efforts back into the
Kootenai River. Essentially they wrote the book
on burbot aquaculture.
Over the last few years, hatchery-reared burbot,
now numbering in the thousands, have been
released into the Kootenai River system.
Eventually it became apparent that the original
hatchery near the reservation was not going to
be adequate for the ongoing sturgeon and burbot
programs. Plans were made for a much larger
facility to be constructed at the Tribe's Twin
Rivers site. Now, after several years of
planning and construction, the Twin Rivers
Sturgeon and Burbot Hatchery will be opened,
with an opening celebration set for this
Thursday, October 9, at 1:30 p.m. at the site at
Twin Rivers.
The new facility was designed with the goal of
meeting the anticipated capacity of the sturgeon
and burbot programs for the longer term, and
being fully flexible for both programs. The new
facility includes river intakes, water
filtration systems, water heating and cooling
capabilities, all appropriate fish tanks and
incubators, start tanks and rearing tanks, all
new utility systems, administrative and biologic
support facilities, and buildings for vehicles
and boats.
In addition, the new hatchery will include
facilities to rear rainbow trout to provide live
feed for the fish, and others to culture the
invertebrates used for larval feeding.
The Kootenai Tribe has extended an invitation to
all to attend the opening ceremony for the Twin
Rivers Sturgeon and Burbot Hatchery.
To view their
invitation flyer, click here.
Opening Celebration, Twin Rivers Sturgeon and
Burbot Hatchery
October 9, 2014
Program and Presentation: 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Hatchery tours and social hour: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Later this month, a community open house will be
held, on Saturday, October 25, with hatchery
tours running fromo 9:00 a.m. until noon.
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