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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Return to Winthrop National Fish Hatchery

Projects and Research

Updated September 15, 2026

There's more to our hatchery than meets the eye! We aim to restore and support native fish populations. Read about our projects with coho, steelhead, and spring Chinook.

A uniformed hatchery worker with a mask holds up a large male coho salmon, its sides flushed with red to indicate its readiness for spawning.
Coho salmon with the Yakama Nation
We support the Yakama Nation in rebuilding populations of coho salmon. Their vision is "to re-establish naturally spawning coho populations in mid-Columbia tributaries to biologically sustainable levels which provide significant harvest in most years."
A man in hardhat standing in front of a concrete wall holds up a very large spring Chinook salmon.
Stepping Stone Model for Spring Chinook Salmon
Our hatchery was built to compensate for lost natural fish production caused by the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam. The population of spring Chinook native to our mid-Columbia River is listed under the Endangered Species Act, partially due to dam construction. We aim to supplement the population so that there are some fish available for harvest. Douglas County Public Utility District’s Methow Fish Hatchery is one of our partners in this effort.
A steelhead is gently held at the water's surface in a basin to display its beautiful colors and condition.
Steelhead Conservation at Winthrop National Fish Hatchery
The Winthrop NFH steelhead program is an integrated recovery hatchery program. This means it aims to boost abundance of natural spawning by using wild adults and allowing most of their offspring to spawn in the wild. Both the hatchery and wild fish are considered to be part of the same Upper Columbia population. Both are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
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