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Posts by David Gowing:
2023 Guided Hatchery Tours
2023 Group Tours Now Open!
We are delighted to be able to hold guided tours again this fall starting the week of September 5th and going until November 11th — two whole months of touring! Feel free to drop by for a self-guided tour, or to visit some of the displays and salmon fry that live at the hatchery year-round!
We are currently not scheduling family or weekend tours for groups smaller than 7, but we do have donation-based walk-up tours on the weekends at 11am & 1pm starting the weekend of Labor Day in September. If your group is larger than 7, please contact us at least 2 weeks before your desired tour date to schedule.
School tours use the Sign Up link at the bottom of this page.
Tours are $5 per person*
Here’s to a great year full of cool, flowing water, eggs, alevins, frys, fingerlings, smolts and returning adults! Keep ’em coming home!
*Some financial assistance available. Contact FISH for more details.
Tour Sign-Up Links
School Tours: Please call 425-392-1118 or email education@issaquahfish.org for access code
How does Articifical Light at Night (ALAN) affect salmon populations?
Save the Date! Salmon on Sunset – Sept 16, 2023
The Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) is pleased to announce the 2nd annual: Salmon on Sunset which will celebrate the adult salmon coming home! On September 16, 10am-6pm, attendees can view the adult salmon up close as they travel to the Issaquah hatchery. There are plenty of family friendly activites planned including: food trucks, rubber duck derbies, live muisc, a FISH raffle, a beer garden and various outreach booths. The popular Rubber Duck Derby will fill the salmon raceways with duck contestantes! 11am, 1pm, 3pm & 5pm!
The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, nestled in the picturesque city of Issaquah, Washington, has become a shining example of salmon conservation and habitat restoration efforts. With a commitment to preserving the natural heritage of the region, the Friends of Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) provides educational opportunities for the local community through guided tours, science presentations & group demonstrations.
Attendees will be able to view live salmon spawning as well as other family friendly activities, the event is free for everyone.
For more information visit: Eventbrite FREE sign up
Heidi Dunbar, Vice President
Heidi has lived in the NW her entire life and has been fishing with her father since she could hold a rod. She has had the privilege of fishing many amazing places with her favorite being Campbell river and the Tyee fish club. After spending 20 years in the healthcare field, it was time to take a leisurely step back. In October of 2021 she started a position with REI as their Campus manager which led her back to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery where she brought her children on School field trips. She had been looking for a place she was passionate about where she could give back to the community and to future generations and FISH was a wonderful fit. She is excited for what they are doing today and for what the future holds for our FISH community.
Issaquah Salmon Hatchery Chinook Putting On a Show!
Chinook have shown up at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, and they are putting on a good show in front of our cameras. Serendipitously, the underwater camera got buried under 3 feet of gravel in the February floods in Issaquah Creek, and the crater left from the excavation is right in front of the new camera placement, and is preferred by the chinook waiting to enter the (closed) fish ladder.
The hatchery raises both chinook and coho salmon, which are released at a young age to spend the majority of their lives in nature. Not everyone has the ability to visit the hatchery to view the return of the adults of these magnificent salmon each fall during their spawning migration. SalmonCam is the solution to this problem; live streaming is now available of adult salmon attempting to jump the weir, an artificial and removable barrier in Issaquah Creek.
Many thanks to WRIA 8 and the King County Flood Control District for funding the grant that purchased the hardware. And similar gratitude to Lucas Hall with Long Live the Kings for pivotal camera advice.
FISH Hiring! Seasonal Volunteer Coordinator
FISH is hiring a seasonal Volunteer Coordinator for salmon season! Working with FISH is a rewarding and educational experience as you interact with and engage volunteers, students, fish biologists, WDFW specialists, and community members to support our common goal of supporting salmon. If you are interested in joining our team, you can find our position description and instructions on how to apply here. This position will start ASAP and will go through the first two weeks of December.
The SpongeBob Musical! Village Theatre and FISH Partner to Support Aquatic Education
Village Theatre KIDSTAGE is partnering with Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) for the summer production of The SpongeBob Musical! The SpongeBob Musical hopes to bring awareness to marine health and ocean plastics. Educational material from FISH helped to inform the production. See The SpongeBob Musical at Village Theatre’s Francis J. Gaudett Theatre August 5 – 14, 2022. Visit www.villagetheatre.org/spongebob for tickets.
About The SpongeBob Musical:
Dive into the underwater world of Bikini Bottom! When a looming volcanic eruption threatens the community, SpongeBob relies on his friends and his unwavering optimism to save the day. The SpongeBob Musical has 12 Tony nominations and an all-star rock and pop score. With clever timeliness and relevancy, this production has a special message: to celebrate what makes us unique, and to protect our earth both on land and under the sea.
The Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count at the Hatchery
Every year across the US and Canada, avid birders set off to participate in the largest annual bird census in North America: The Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). CBC participants set out to count all the birds in a 15-mile diameter circle over the span of 24 hours. This 24-hour period happens on one calendar day (per circle) between December 14th and January 2nd every year.
The Christmas Bird Count was started by ornithologist Frank M. Chapman in 1900 as an alternative to a Christmas hunting tradition. With the help of 27 birders, Chapman started this century-long tradition with the simple idea of counting birds, instead of killing them. Since its conception, the CBC has provided useful data to the scientific community, informing reports like the 2012 EPA Climate Change Report, and Audubon’s 2014 Climate Change Report.
The Eastside Audubon Society includes the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery as a part of their 15-mile diameter circle that is surveyed during the CBC. In 2020, and again this year, FISH will be assisting Eastside Audubon Society leaders in their census of the hatchery grounds. As many know, the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is an urban wildlife refuge, rich with animals, bugs, and plants that create a complex ecosystem ideal for many native bird species. Last year during the CBC, 20 species of birds were counted at the hatchery including species of sparrows, starlings, gulls, mergansers, and more! Stay tuned to see what birds are spotted at the hatchery during the 2021-2022 CBC!
Update: Final Birds from 2021 CBC at the Hatchery
Dark-eyed Junco 36
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
House finch 16
Mallard ducks 8
Common Merganser 2
Northern Spotted Towhee 9
Glaucous-winged gull 6
Cooper’s hawk 2
Song Sparrow 2
English sparrow 10
Anna’s hummingbird 3
American Robin 25 (in the large Holly tree across the ally from the
library parking garage)
American Crow 29
Great Blue heron 1
Rock pigeons 55
TOTAL 212
Guided Tours
Brodie Antipa: Promoting Partnerships
Brodie Antipa: Promoting Partnerships By Grace Reamer As the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery celebrates its 30th anniversary, we are taking a look back at the people and the activities that brought about the formation and development of this unique organization and partnership. The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery didn’t have much to recommend itself back […]
“6PPD-quinone update: The most Toxic Chemical ever seen in the Aquatic Environment
6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q) updateA chemical found in vehicle tires kills coho salmon and other fish has come under intense worldwide investigation ever since reseachers in the Puget Sound isolated the singular compound three years ago. The chemical 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q) was virtually unknow until its isolation in 2020 and is now recognized as one of the most […]
Hatchery Tours, STEM fairs & more …
We are delighted to be able to hold Winter/Spring guided tours starting the week of February 2 through May 30 — three whole months of tours! Tours last 45 minutes and feature many of the hatcheries educational spots, are $10 a person as a donation to FISH and should be booked, at least 2 weeks […]
Saving the Hatchery Around the Corner: Debbie Berto
Saving the Hatchery Around the Corner: Debbie Berto By Grace Reamer IHM: Issaquah Press Collection October 14, 1992: Page 2 (stparchive.com) IHM: Issaquah Press Collection September 30, 1992: Page 1 (stparchive.com) IHM: Issaquah Press Collection September 30, 1992: Page 4 (stparchive.com) IHM: Issaquah Press Collection October 28, 1992: Page 3 (stparchive.com) When Debbie Berto learned about the proposed closure […]
Tour Sign-Up Links
School Tours: Please call 425-392-1118 or email education@issaquahfish.org for access code
Peter Gowell, Treasurer
Peter is honored to serve on the FISH Board. He brings the shared commitment and purpose of promoting conservation, education, environmental sustainability and supporting the overall mission of FISH.
A native Seattleite growing up on the Eastside, he was introduced to the significance of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery in grade school (as well as the magic of Boehm’s Candies chocolates). Trips into the Issaquah Alps along with experiences with both Boy Scouts and Mountaineers heightened his awareness and the need to secure healthy fish habitats to support the runs of chinook, coho, sockeye, kokanee, trout and steelhead found in Issaquah Creek.
A CPA by training, he has 20+ years of finance & accounting leadership experience with a large professional services firm, experience beneficial to continuing the strong stewardship of FISH.