BPA funds construction of kelt reconditioning facility, supporting threatened steelhead

Supporting the preservation of 344,000 acres of land for fish and wildlife, the Bonneville Power Administration continuously commits to working with tribal governments in shared land and wetland stewardship. In pursuit of its environmental conservation goals, BPA is funding the construction of a state-of-the-art steelhead kelt reconditioning facility aimed at restoring steelhead populations in the Clearwater River in Julietta, Idaho. The new facility will be built adjacent to Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery, which BPA funded and constructed in 2001, and is being constructed in partnership with Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Nez Perce tribe.

Steelhead, a species of anadromous trout crucial to Pacific Northwest ecosystems, are a threatened species in the Clearwater River, a tributary of the Snake River. This population decline is due partially to the steelheads’ treacherous journey from the Clearwater River to the Pacific Ocean to grow and feed before returning to the river to spawn. Unlike salmon, steelhead can make this journey multiple times, with each voyage presenting obstacles to their survival, such as natural predation, fishing, passing through dams, and major exhaustion after using energy to spawn. Steelhead in the Columbia and Snake River basins are classified in two groups: A-run and B-run. B-run steelhead, which signifies the group of larger, later returning steelhead found in the Clearwater River, are especially at risk.

When young steelhead have completed their first spawn and are headed back out to sea to feed, rest and recover, they are known as kelt. These steelhead kelt are often depleted of energy and nutrition, which puts them at risk while swimming back to the ocean. Reconditioning is the process by which steelhead kelt are captured, fed and nurtured in facilities until they are ready to spawn again without traveling back to sea. This practice prevents subjection to predators, decreases mortality rates and increases the likelihood that steelhead will be able to spawn and survive in the Clearwater River.

According to Tracey Hauser, BPA Fish and Wildlife project manager, reconditioning has already proved an effective measure in the rehabilitation of steelhead populations. “The project provides an excellent example of developing a relatively uncertain approach into a viable management alternative to enhance spawner abundance in natural steelhead populations,” said Hauser.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Independent Science Review Panel completed review of BPA’s habitat and hatchery programs and describes kelt reconditioning as a successful strategy. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ Snake River Steelhead Recovery Plan also identifies kelt reconditioning as beneficial to steelhead populations in the Snake River Basin.

The reconditioning facility will consist of a new building to house 10 reconditioning tanks and will include rooms for evaluation, feed storage and chemical storage. It will be capable of reconditioning up to 750 wild steelhead kelts at a time, supporting the release of 180 reconditioned kelts annually. The project is set to be completed in September of 2025 after several years in the development stage.

“The project was proposed in the 2008 Fish Accords, so it has been a long-awaited project, and we are looking forward to operating a facility dedicated to supporting wild steelhead kelt reconditioning,” said Hauser.

Until the construction of the facility in Julietta, temporary facilities have conducted reconditioning efforts on the Clearwater River. According to Becky Johnson, Production Division director for Nez Perce Fishery Resource Management, of the 1,600 Clearwater River adult steelhead returns in fall 2023, 131 of these fish were reconditioned females that had successfully spawned without needing to return to the ocean beforehand. Johnson noted that reconditioned female steelhead produce more eggs on average, and if successfully trapped again post-spawn while trying to migrate to the ocean, can once more contribute to B-run productivity.

“We at BPA Fish & Wildlife and our partners at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Nez Perce Tribe are very excited to see the completion of this facility,” said Hauser.