Dworshak National Fish Hatchery facts for kids

Dworshak National Fish Hatchery

The Dworshak National Fish Hatchery is a special place in north-central Idaho, near a town called Ahsahka. It sits right on the Clearwater River, inside the Nez Perce Reservation. This hatchery was built in 1969 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Today, it's managed by two groups: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nez Perce Tribe.

This hatchery is one of the biggest in the world for raising fish that migrate, meaning they travel long distances. These amazing fish, called anadromous fish, swim about 1,000 miles from the river all the way to the ocean and then back again to lay their eggs. The Dworshak Dam was built on the river, and it blocked the fish from reaching their old spawning grounds. The dam is too tall for a fish ladder, which is a special path that helps fish get over dams. So, the hatchery helps make up for this lost space.

Raising Fish for the Ocean

The Dworshak Hatchery raises several types of fish, including steelhead, Chinook salmon, and coho salmon. The hatchery's main goal is to "mitigate" or make up for the natural areas the fish lost because of the dam.

Here's how they do it:

• They collect adult fish that are ready to lay eggs.
• They carefully fertilize the eggs.
• They raise the young fish for about one to one-and-a-half years.
• Once the fish are big enough, they are released.

These young fish then start an incredible 500-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. It's a tough trip! They have to swim past eight dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. In the summer, the dams release more water to help the young fish travel downstream safely.

How Water Temperature Helps Fish Grow

What makes the Dworshak Hatchery really special is how it controls the water temperature for the steelhead fish. They keep the water in the rearing ponds at a steady 54 degrees Fahrenheit (about 12 degrees Celsius). This warm water helps the young steelhead grow much faster.

Because of this controlled temperature, the steelhead can be released after just one year, when they are about 8 inches long. If the water were colder, it would take them another whole year to reach that same size! The hatchery achieves this by reusing up to 90 percent of its water, which helps them keep the temperature just right.

Part of a Bigger Team

The Dworshak National Fish Hatchery is part of a larger group called the Dworshak Fisheries Complex. This complex also includes the Kooskia National Fish Hatchery, the Idaho Fish Health Center, and the Idaho Fisheries Resource Office. All these places work together to help fish populations.

Visiting the Hatchery

The Dworshak National Fish Hatchery welcomes visitors every day during daylight hours. You can take a self-guided tour to explore the facility on your own. If you want a more in-depth experience, you can also arrange for a guided tour. The hatchery is easy to find, located about three miles west of Orofino, Idaho, on Highway 7.

Best Times to See Fish

If you want to see the fish up close, here are the best times to visit:

• February to April: You can see adult steelhead.
• June to August: This is the best time to spot adult Chinook salmon.
• October to December: You might see coho salmon and steelhead.

Who Was Henry Dworshak?

Both the Dworshak Dam and the Dworshak Hatchery are named after Henry Dworshak. He was a Republican Senator who represented Idaho in the United States Senate from 1946 to 1962.