Sandpoint Fish Hatchery

The Sandpoint Hatchery is located in Bonner County on the south shoreline of the Pend Oreille River about two miles south of the town of Sandpoint. Although, the hatchery was closed in 1985, it was reopened in 1990 in response to public demand in the Panhandle Region. A limited water supply restricted production, resulting in high fish production costs. Public relations with local sportsmen's groups (Bonner County Sportsmen's Association, Trout Unlimited, and Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club) is a major benefit of the station. Duties include managing a small-scale specialty station rearing rainbow trout, Westslope cutthroat trout, chinook salmon, kokanee salmon, and Kootenai white sturgeon, managing a net pen rearing program, and operating or helping in north Idaho egg-taking programs.

The hatchery is license-funded. Special hatchery programs (sturgeon culture and cutthroat trout net pen culture) are funded by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Washington Water Power (WWP), Trout Unlimited (TU), and the Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club (LPOIC). These funds are encumbered for specific use items such as water heaters, net pens, and fish feed; therefore, amounts vary annually.

Written and compiled by Jacqueline Harvey 1999.