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Adult Chinook Salmon

Kooskia

National Fish Hatchery
Free admission
7:30 am - 4:00 pm
318 Toll Road
Kooskia, ID 83539-5190

Plan Your Visit

Nestled within a deep corner of north Central Idaho, Kooskia raises and releases 600,000 spring Chinook salmon every year into the Clearwater River Basin. In 2007, the certification of the Snake River Basin Adjudication settlement included transfer of hatchery management to the Nez Perce Tribe.

Hours
Opens: 7:30 am
Closes: 4:00 pm
Detailed hours
Safety Policies
For emergencies: 911

Kooskia National Fish Hatchery is located 2 miles east of Kooskia, Idaho, on Clear Creek Road. Take either bridge exit off Highway 12, follow posted signs to the main hatchery entrance.

Get Involved

Consider participating in the annual Junior Duck Stamp competition! This program is available for those who love conservation and want to help.

Services

Adult salmon are trapped at Kooskia National Fish Hatchery from May through August, and transported to Dworshak National Fish Hatchery for spawning. Eyed eggs are returned to Kooskia in the fall, where they are incubated, hatched and reared. They are released 18 months later into Clear Creek, to migrate 540 miles downstream past 8 dams before arriving in the Pacific Ocean. Salmon smolts released at the hatchery will return 2-3 years later as adult fish weighing between 7-20 pounds.