They're heeeere! Chinook begin annual return to Issaquah Hatchery
Hatchery awash in kings
Recent rains and cooler weather have propelled the mighty chinook (king salmon) to return home to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. The hatchery opened the fish ladder on September 3 to begin its first collection of salmon for the 2010 spawning season.
The hatchery saw this season's first chinook in mid-July, more than a month earlier than usual. Then on Aug. 25, four adult kings were spotted at the hatchery. They have now been joined by hundreds more.
These chinook are the first wave of the 2010 season's salmon run. They are usually joined by a few sockeye, with coho salmon due to arrive in a few weeks. The hatchery expects to conduct its first spawn Sept. 28.
The hatchery raises chinook and coho salmon and expects the 3- to 5-year-old fish to return to Issaquah Creek from now through November or early December.
More than 9,000 chinook have been counted passing through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to date. Muckleshoot Tribal officials, who conduct the salmon counts, have estimated that this year's chinook return will be slightly below average. Most of the chinook passing through the Locks are bound for the Issaquah Hatchery. Others return to Bear Creek, the Cedar River and the other major streams of the Lake Washington/Lake Sammamish Watershed. Some also return to a small hatchery at the University of Washington. The coho have also begun to pass through the Locks and to date more than 200 have been counted by the Muckleshoot Tribe.
Issaquah Hatchery visitors can see the lively salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. The best viewing spots are along the bridge and at the glassed-in fish ladder, which provides visitors with a good underwater view of the salmon. The public can also see the salmon online.
|
Stop by and say hi during Salmon Days
Annual festival is Oct. 2 & 3
As usual, the
salmon are right on schedule to be the stars of this year's Issaquah Salmon Days Festival.
More than 300 artists and scores of food vendors will flood downtown Issaquah
during the grand Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce event. The hatchery will
again host nearly 20 non-profit booths during the event. Please remember
to stop by the FISH booth - it's the perfect time to renew your membership or
donate a few extra dollars toward FISH's popular volunteer & education
programs. For more
information about the festival, please visit www.salmondays.org.
|
Still time to become a "FIN"tastic FISH volunteer
A record number of some 35 new volunteers joined a dedicated crew of seasoned guides during training last week, gearing up for the 2010 salmon season. These 75-plus "fin"tastic guides will provide educational
tours to thousands of visitors -- many of them school children -- who come to the hatchery to see magnificent
salmon spawn in Issaquah Creek.
FISH docents
(educational volunteers) foster a sense of wonder about salmon for our
visitors. If you'd like to join our
chummy crew and make a big splash at the hatchery, please contact:
Volunteer Coordinator Bev Lee
fishvolunteer@msn.com
425-427-0259
|
|
Hatchery hosts traveling youth art show
Art contest focuses on Puget Sound
"Puget Sound Creatures Speak" by Ronnie G.  | The hatchery's theater room is a little more
colorful these days, thanks to a variety of youth artwork on display for the
month of September.
The traveling arts show is part of Puget Sound Starts Here art and
video contest, administered by Nature Vision. Artists from Kindergarten through
Grade 12 created art based on the theme of "Why Should We Care About Puget
Sound." Stop by the room while you're visiting the salmon and take a look
at these impressive works of art!
|
|
Nature heroes keep native garden in
shape
The
hatchery's native plant garden, located behind the spawning shed, probably
would not exist if not for the constant tending by dedicated volunteer Pat
McArthur. Pat, joined by friends Dolores Njos & Elizabeth Taylor, have been
keeping the garden in tip-top shape throughout all the seasons.
Pat and her husband Mike of Mike's Hauling and Tractor Work recently
picked up and spread 9 yards of donated compost from Cedar Grove Composting
We thank Cedar Grove for their donation and Pat, Mike, Delores and Elizabeth for all their hard work over the
years.
|
