The Issaquah Hatchery overflowed with eager visitors

FISH sockeye parade entry

who came to see the mighty chinook and coho salmon during the 41st Salmon Days Festival, held Oct. 2 and 3.

The festival attracted an estimated 180,000 visitors to downtown Issaquah. The weather was pleasantly cool with no rain to dampen attendees' experience.

We're happy to report that FISH's parade entry took a first-place ribbon! Our entry was also extra-special this year as we were joined by "Sal" the salmon from Stewardship Partners, which collaborates with the Oregon-based Salmon-Safe certification

program to recognize farm operations who adopt conservation practices that help restore native salmon habitat in Pacific Northwest rivers and streams.

"Sal" the salmon with Master Docent Al Ramsay

Sal did an excellent job "swimming" the parade route with the FISH team!

As usual, an army of friendly FISH docents answered visitors' questions

for more than 16 hours over the festival weekend. We thank our team of friendly volunteers for all their time and energy! It was a fun and successful event that will leave many enduring, happy memories.

FISH annual membership meeting notice

The FISH annual membership meeting will be held 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, at the Issaquah Hatchery's Watershed Science Center, 80 Newport Way SW.

The meeting will recap the program's progress over the last year, provide financial data and review the salmon returns. After the annual membership meeting, FISH members and board members who have paid dues at least 10 days in advance of the annual meeting will elect board positions that are expiring terms of present board positions.

FISH encourages members to run for board positions if they can regularly attend monthly meetings, are already familiar with FISH and can contribute to the organization's mission and operations, such as budgeting, public relations, fundraising, Salmon Days and educational opportunities.

It is with heavy hearts that we share with you the sad news that John Springer, one of FISH's most enthusiastic master docents, has passed away.

Master Docent John Springer

We will sorely miss John - his love of life and positive energy was infectious; the day was always brighter with John around.

John joined FISH in 2003. He worked for 25 years as a biomedical technician at Providence Medical Center in Seattle, and for more than two decades before that he served in the U.S. Air Force as a sergeant in missile navigation.

We are so very sad to lose such a vital, sweet and friendly FISH family member. We send his family our deepest condolences.

Issaquah Hatchery Foreman John Kugen holds an adult coho that has returned to spawn.

This year's coho run is well below average and Department of Fish & Wildlife managers are crossing their fingers, hoping they will have enough fish to spawn to reach the program goal of obtaining 1.2 million eggs. At least 600 female are needed to reach the hatchery's goal.

The coho count passing through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks was just 3,608 this year - well below the 30,000 annual average. Generally, about half of the total coho swimming through the Locks are bound for Issaquah. Based on the hatchery/non-hatchery returns, the Issaquah return this year could be as low as 25 percent of the coho counted at the Locks.

One fish biologist with the Muckleshoot Tribe has a theory that poor ocean conditions when the coho were smolts (the stage when juveniles migrate from fresh to salt water) resulted in lower than average survival rates for this year's fish.

The issue has to do with a change in ocean upwelling, where water from the deep sea travels up to the surface. These are places in the ocean where water from the deep sea travels up to the surface. Such upwelling often happens where wind blows along a coastline. According to Windows to the Universe, from the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA), the wind causes the water at the ocean surface to move perpendicular to it, away from the coast. When surface water moves away from the coast, water from deeper in the ocean rises up and takes its place.

"The water that is moved up to the surface is usually cold and rich in nutrients, which come from the rotting bodies of dead sea creatures that sunk into deep water," Windows to the Universe reports. "When the deep water gets to the surface, these extra nutrients are snatched up by plankton that floats in the ocean. The number of plankton grows where there is upwelling. Tiny animals gobble up the plankton and fish eat the tiny animals. This means that upwelling areas are full of marine life."

In May of 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration did surveys in Washington marine waters and found good upwelling, said Mike Mahovlich, fish biologist with the Muckleshoot Tribe. But within a month, something changed.

"Upwelling stopped in June, continued through the summer and early fall months. The early fall test fisheries in the marine coastal waters could not find juvenile coho, which was the first sign that the 2010 adult returns could be very poor, but nobody expected it to be this bad," Mahovlich said.

More rains are predicted this weekend and Issaquah Hatchery managers hope this will bring in more coho. Meanwhile, this year's chinook spawn is complete. The hatchery collected nearly 2.5 million eggs; more than 1,000 chinook were spawned and more than 1,000 were released upstream of the hatchery.

Recycling now available to the public

New collection center includes solar-powered compactor

Waste Management has donated a recycling receptacle and a solar-powered trash compactor, as well as pick-up service, to the hatchery.

FISH Master Docent Melanie Jacobs demonstrates using new recycling receptacle

The "Big Belly" station is located on the north side of the hatchery's foot bridge and is for the public's use. (While the hatchery had prior recycling service, it was not easily accessible to the public).

Giving the public the ability to recycle their trash helps the hatchery promote conservation efforts that help sustain our natural resources.

"Waste Management is more than just a garbage hauler. Sustainability and conservation are key tenets to our business model and we support the hatchery's efforts to promote watershed stewardship and conversation through education," said Will Ibershof, Public Sector Manager of Waste Management.