Over 100 years of land use changes and the construction and operation of Libby dam has significantly altered the Kootenai River’s aquatic food chain. Decreased productivity in the lower end of the food chain has led to dramatic declines in important Tribal fisheries such as Kootenai River white sturgeon, burbot and native trout species, which are scarce relative to historical accounts. The Kootenai River White sturgeon are currently listed as endangered and burbot are a species of concern. The impoundment of the Kootenai River by Libby dam has cut-off key nutrients. Very low levels of phosphorus have been found downstream of Libby Dam resulting in nutrient-poor conditions in most river zones. Decreased biological productivity in the Kootenai River ecosystem has cascaded across all trophic levels. In order to mitigate for this loss of nutrients the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho is implementing and maintaining a large-scale nutrient addition effort to stimulate production in the Kootenai River’s depleted food web and reverse downward trends in native fish population abundance and ecosystem health.