The white sturgeon in the Kootenai River of Montana, Idaho and British Columbia, are isolated from other white sturgeon and are genetically unique. Their numbers have been declining over the past two or more decades, and their population structure does not reflect the normal representation of juvenile fish. In September 1994, the Kootenai River population of white sturgeon was declared endangered. The change in river flows since 1972, when Libby Dam was built by the Corps of Engineers in Montana, is thought to be one major factor contributing to reduced reproductive success of these sturgeon. Libby is a storage dam and traditionally has used the spring runoff to refill for the summer after the wintertime drawdowns for flood control and power generation.
Refill is needed for recreation on the reservoir and to provide water for power production.
Since 1992, by purchasing some of the power elsewhere, the Bonneville Power Administration has helped the Corps store water behind Libby Dam in the winter so that it can be released in the spring to help sturgeon spawning without jeopardizing refill. These experimental flows have changed from year to year according to water availability and our increasing understanding of the requirements of the sturgeon. Sturgeon reproductive activity has been monitored by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game under Bonneville Power Administration funding. The flow tests have resulted in some sturgeon spawning, but much more information is needed about how to get high levels of spawning, and how to get the eggs and fry to survive. An adaptive management strategy is being used to make use of all available data each year to determine what flows and other provisions are needed to aid the sturgeon.