Oxbow Hatchery: Redesigned for the future

Retaining walls and landscaping was completed at the hatchery. Bathrooms and a visitor kiosk with interpretive signs will be completed at a later date. The entire compound was built at the 100-year flood zone. 

Updated electrical infrastructure, a new computer, hatchery alarm system, fencing, entrance gates and other security measures are now fully installed.

What’s the current mission of Oxbow? 

Oxbow traps summer steelhead below Hells Canyon Dam in the Hells Canyon Trap. Six hundred fish (300 males and 300 females) are held for broodstock, while any extras beyond broodstock go to tribal subsistence, Boise River releases for Idaho Fish and Game, or other stream outplants such as Hells Canyon Reservoir for Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Oxbow traps spring Chinook Salmon to aid with Rapid River Hatchery broodstock goals. Typically, about 300 spring Chinook are transported to Rapid River annually. Oxbow also helps Rapid River with spawn operations at Rapid River and initial incubation of about one million Chinook eggs in the Oxbow incubation room.

Chinook beyond broodstock goes to tribal distributions, the Boise River, other tribal releases such as releases into the Owyhee River for the Sho Pae Tribe in Nevada, or other prescribed Idaho or Oregon releases directed by the various salmon managers of the Columbia River basin. 

What is the main objective of Oxbow? 

Oxbow works with two other Idaho Power hatcheries with the goal of providing a steelhead or Chinook fisheries on the Snake and Salmon Rivers. Typically, 500,000 8-inch steelhead smolts of Oxbow stock are released below Hells Canyon Dam from the Niagara Springs Hatchery in March and 350,000 5-inch spring Chinook smolts of Rapid River Hatchery and Oxbow stock origin are also released below Hells Canyon Dam in March.

Who paid for the hatchery re-build? 

Idaho Power realized the need for major upgrades at Oxbow to be able to complete the current mission and future goals related to relicensing. Idaho Power Company funded the hatchery re-build which makes it one of the showcase hatcheries in the Northwest. Schnabel Engineering was awarded the contract for the design and IMCO Engineering & Construction got the bid for building the hatchery. Construction lasted about two and half years.

Is Oxbow Hatchery open to the public? 

The hatchery was closed to the public for safety during the re-build. It will be open to the public again at the start of January 2025 to walk-in visitors. School groups or larger tours need to be scheduled in advance. 

Come check out the new (and improved) Oxbow Hatchery!