When a Columbia River steelhead completes its epic journey from ocean to spawning grounds, it is usually too exhausted to make it back down the river again. Often, the fish just dies.

But tribal biologists have created a rehabilitation center that helps steelhead recover so they can get another chance to spawn again in the future.

“We’re hoping that with all the nutrients we can put back in them, they will regenerate the eggs and go back up and spawn for a second and third time,” says Joe Blodgett. He runs this program for the Yakama Nation fisheries in Prosser.

Inside huge tubs, large shadowy fish swim in circles. They spawned last fall and now they’re fed highly nutritious pellets. Their silvery bellies are once again swollen with fat and eggs.