The Cabinet Gorge Hatchery is primarily a kokanee fry production station with capacity to rear 15 million two inch long fry. These fish are to help mitigate for the construction of the Albeni Falls Dam that raises the lake level of Lake Pend Oreille and the Cabinet Gorge dam that backs up Noxon Reservoir into Montana. During 1998 Cabinet Gorge released 2,483,700 kokanee fry. The kokanee fry release is timed to coincide with the altered cycles of zooplankton blooms in the lake caused by Mysis sp. shrimp.Cabinet Gorge Hatchery is recognized by the surrounding communities as the major contributor of kokanee to the Lake Pend Oreille fishery. The importance of this lake fishery to the local economy is presently estimated at over five million dollars. The hatchery has been the focus of many radio, television, and newspaper stories in recent years. With the decline of kokanee numbers in recent years, even more attention is placed on the hatchery.