FISHy Numbers 2024
Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, or FISH for short, celebrated its 30th year in 2023. Founded in 1993, FISH was created by the community to help save the hatchery from closing. Each year, FISH welcomes more than 100,000 visitors and more than 10,000 students, of which 1 in 12 visited from Title I schools.
Spawning Numbers
Chinook “King” Salmon
- 8,257 Arrived in September
- 3,563,000 Eggs Collected
- 167 Adults Released Upstream
Coho “Silver” Salmon
- 6,686+ Arrived in October
- 1,131,167 Eggs Collected
- 2,412+ Adults Released Upstream
- 1,434+ Adults Released into Coal Creek


Trout Statistics
Rainbow trout raised and released in local lakes:
- 11,500 to Pine Lake
- 6,500 to Beaver Lake
- 8,000 to Lake Desire
Education Tours
FISH led over 35 tours to Seattle YMCA and other community groups and organizations.
586 school tours. 114 to title 1 schools.
FISH visited more than 15 classrooms, 24 science fairs and 10 outreach events.


Salmon Food Bank donations
FISH volunteers and staff piloted a salmon donation program. FISH partnered with Kiwanis of Issaquah and Issaquah Eagles FOE3054 to process and deliver 77lbs of Coho salmon to two Eastside food banks.
Fall Events
At both of the fall 2024 events – 125 FISH volunteers contributed more than 1,000 hours. More than 1,000 of these hours were contributed during the Salmon Days weekend. During both events, FISH volunteers engaged more than 65,000 visitors.


Corporate Partnerships
FISH hosted 15 corporate work groups, with more than 280 volunteers and 1,120 hours logged for habitat restoration projects.
Summer Camps
FISH volunteers hosted 44 kids during Summer Science Camps, giving partial sponsorships to 25%.
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Native Plant Garden
FISH maintained the Native Plant Garden and worked with the Snoqualmie Tribe to translate and produce over 50 interpretive signs that feature both the Latin and the Lushootseed names. An intern from Gibson Ek high school provided all the plant drawings. Gibson Ek interns led more than 100 educational tours.
Arts, Culture & Heritage
FISH programming engaged more than 3,000 community members, and 48 community artists painted fish on the spawning shed doors for the community art project. The history of the hatchery exhibit shared our heritage with more than 4,000 visitors.
