The Issaquah Hatchery is located within the City of Issaquah on Issaquah Creek. The facility was a WPA Project during the Depression and has been in operation since 1936. Because of its urban location, Issaquah is the most visited of any of the Washington State hatcheries.

The Issaquah Hatchery is located within the City of Issaquah on Issaquah Creek. The facility was a WPA Project during the Depression and has been in operation since 1936. Because of its urban location, Issaquah is the most visited of any of the Washington State hatcheries.

On spawning days, hatchery personnel retrieve the eggs from the females and fertilize them with milt from the males. In addition, state fisheries biologists examine the fish for growth and epidemiological studies.

Juvenile salmon released from the hatchery make an amazing journey to sea by migrating down Issaquah Creek to Lake Sammamish, the Sammamish River, Lake Washington, Lake Union, the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and finally the Pacific Ocean.

Adult salmon begin returning to the hatchery in late August and early September. As many as 10,000 to 30,000 salmon may return before the runs are over in December. The hatchery nurtures five to six million eggs each winter. Approximately half of the fish raised at the hatchery are released directly into Issaquah Creek. The rest are distributed as eggs or fry to supplement naturally spawning fish in the Lake Washington basin, or they are given to educational or cooperative projects.

The annual goal for the hatchery is 2,000 adult chinook and 3,000 adult coho. The following chart depicts the number of adult salmon counted at the hatchery each year since 1990.

Annual Salmon Return To Hatchery

* Thousands of salmon passed over the hatchery's trap during the season due to flooding and other reasons.