Cle Elum Supplementation & Research Facility

This facility combines traditional hatchery operations with research into rearing techniques that better mimic the natural environment. The facility has a viewing area, information kiosk, and volunteer host who can answer questions about the operations.

At the time of the Yakama Treaty of 1855, 200,000 spring Chinook returned annually to the Yakima subbasin via the Columbia River. By the 1980s and 1990s, the annual return declined to less than 3,500 fish. In 1995, the Yakama Nation opened the Cle Elum Supplementation and Research Facility to help recover these populations. The facility combines traditional hatchery operations with research into rearing techniques that better mimic the natural environment. Spring Chinook populations have since increased more than threefold. Future plans for the watershed include the Cle Elum Fish Passage Facilities and Fish Reintroduction Project, located at the Cle Elum Dam, which is one of six reservoir fish passage projects outlined in the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP).