The Kootenai Tribe’s Kootenai River Native Fish Conservation Aquaculture program is designed to address the precipitous decline of two species, Kootenai River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and burbot (Lota lota maculosa), that are of immeasurable cultural value to the Kootenai Tribe and that are critical components of the Kootenai River ecosystem.  The purpose of the Kootenai sturgeon aquaculture program is to prevent extinction of this endangered population, preserve the existing gene pool, and continue rebuilding a healthy age class structure using conservation aquaculture techniques with wild native broodstock.  The purpose of the Tribe’s burbot aquaculture program is to reintroduce burbot into the lower Kootenai River and begin rebuilding the population using genetically similar stock from within the subbasin in British Columbia  The new Twin Rivers Hatchery will allow for expansion of the Kootenai sturgeon aquaculture program to increase rearing capacity in order to reduce rearing density, allow for greater segregation and size grading of fish families, and support aquaculture research needs.  The new facility is needed because there is no room for expansion of the program at the existing Tribal Hatchery Facility.  Additionally, the combined use of the two facilities will significantly enhance program flexibility and provide additional fail-safe back up.  The Twin Rivers Hatchery will also house the Tribe’s burbot hatchery program.  Burbot operations at Twin Rivers Hatchery will include broodstock collection and handling, spawning and fertilization, incubation and hatching, rearing, marking, and release.  The new facility will also accommodate burbot aquaculture research needs.  This contract will provide for funding for construction of the Twin Rivers Sturgeon and Burbot Hatchery, while planning and design is funded under Kootenai Tribe's Project 198806400.