The weather for Salmon Days last year was unprecedented, but regardless of this year’s weather, expect hordes of people to gather in Issaquah this weekend for the annual celebration of the return of the salmon to Issaquah Creek.
At a preview for public officials Sept. 25, Bob Everett with Washington State Fish and Wildlife, which operates the hatchery (with a great deal of help from FISH, the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery), said in the late ’80s the hatchery was in tough shape.
“It was going to be closed, but the community rallied and saved it,” Everett said. “You won’t find a hatchery to rival this anywhere in the country.”
He said the hatchery is unique because it’s in a town that has grown up around it.
Celina Steiger, the hatchery’s education coordinator, said over 10,000 third-graders visit the hatchery each year in a program called “Salmon in the Schools.” Eggs are distributed to classrooms throughout the districts. The kids watch them grow until it’s time to release them into Issaquah creek when they become fingerlings.
Everett said the hatchery plays a critical role in the recovery of Kokanee, freshwater salmon that don’t travel beyond the fresh water of Lake Sammamish. He said this year the largest number of Kokanee have come back — 400,000 to 500,000.
“Two (million) to 2.5 million chinook and coho are raised and released each year,” he said. “By the miracle of nature they make it all the way through the Ballard locks, out to the ocean and come back.”
Everett said it is a continuing effort to upgrade the hatchery. Currently, upgrades are being made to the upper intake to make it easier for the fish to get to the watershed. The project is behind schedule, but he said it should be completed by the end of October.
Festival chair and Issaquah City Council member Eileen Barber said the one thing that citizens of Issaquah share is salmon and the hatchery.
“They are icons everywhere in our city. It’s difficult to imagine Issaquah without the salmon,” Barber said.
She said 75 years ago there were no salmon left in the creek due to mining and logging. Not only did the hatchery revive the salmon, but also it is an economic engine that benefits Issaquah by bringing in tourists who eat at Issaquah restaurants and stay in Issaquah hotels, Barber said.
“The fish provide nutrients to the creek, which in turn supports the habitat,” Barber continued. “Without the hatchery this city wouldn’t be the vibrant place it is today.”
Last year 180,000 people came to Salmon Days, possibly a record due to the incredible weather. This year there are an estimated 60 food vendors to tempt your tastebuds, 70 non-profit groups with booths, and an estimated 270 artisans.
Salmon Days won Best Overall Festival in its category in 2012, awarded by the Grand Pinnacle International Festival and Events Association.
A large salmon leaps from the water, hoping to get through the gates.
Two salmon desperately want to get past the gates at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery.
Issaquah Creek is thick with salmon coming home to spawn.
