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Safety at the Hatchery

Safety is a main concern for a hatchery visit — for adults, children, students, teachers, parents and the salmon. Here are some helpful tips to consider when visiting the Issaquah Hatchery.

The grounds are often extremely slippery, even when it is not raining and/or snowing. Also, because of the constant use of water, spillage can occur in all areas of the hatchery, which makes the grounds very slick.

Please walk (don’t run) in all areas of the hatchery and wear appropriate shoes.

Most of your visit will take place outside, so please dress for the weather.

Please keep a safe distance from open pools of water, working machinery and egg incubation rooms.

COVID-19 Guidelines

The hatchery is OPEN to the public after two long years of covid closures. Please help us remain open by following DFW guidelines, which currently require masks in indoor spaces like the Aquarium Room and Steve Bell Theatre.

Safety at the Hatchery

Please do not touch the salmon!

If a salmon jumps out of a holding tank, notify a hatchery staff member or docent to return it to the tank. Salmon have very sharp teeth, and a bite from a salmon can be toxic.

Stay out of areas marked for employees only — some areas pose a drowning hazard or a risk of exposure to harmful chemicals.
Help the salmon stay healthy by refraining from throwing objects into the ponds unless feeding is allowed by a staff member or docent.
Please remember that many students are using the hatchery in the fall and it can become quite crowded. Students should stay close to their tour leaders and chaperones.
Chaperones and teachers, not the docents, are responsible for their students. Please keep an eye on your students and keep them from straying or from any inappropriate behavior.

Parents and teachers: Please refrain from smoking or using inappropriate language on the hatchery grounds.

If your group is planning to have lunch during your visit, we request that you please go across Newport Way to the sheltered area for your meal instead of staying on the hatchery grounds. The hatchery gets very crowded with tours and other visitors and there are no covered picnic areas, so lunching on the grounds is not recommended.
Suggestions for Teachers Before Leaving School
Make sure you have enough chaperones for your students. Tours are split into groups of 10, so there should be at least one chaperone for every 10 students.
Mention any special medical (or behavioral) needs of the students to the chaperones before leaving for the field trip.
Students should visit the restrooms before they leave. There are only two public bathrooms at the hatchery and lines can become quite long.
Students should bring a coat to the hatchery.
FISH docents are volunteers and are donating their time; please treat them with respect.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and look forward to seeing you at the hatchery!

<strong>PHOTO/VIDEO NOTIFICATION</strong>

The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is a public facility where photos, videos and other media might be taken of individuals visiting the hatchery. At times FISH takes photos of visitors to use for publicity purposes (on our website, in pamphlets, etc.) If you do not wish to have your picture taken during a visit, please let the photographer know at the time of your visit.

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This organization is currently registered with the secretary's office under the charitable solicitation act - for information call 1-800-332-4483.

No goods or services are provided to donors for their contributions. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Tax ID #91-1640245.