Salmon SEEson returns: spot fish coming home to King County rivers and streams

Native salmon – including sockeye, chinook, coho, pink, and chum – have begun the journey from the open ocean to their birthplaces in streams and rivers that feed into Puget Sound.

Kokanee, landlocked sockeye salmon that spend their entire lives in the freshwater of Lake Sammamish, can also be seen spawning in streams feeding into the Lake. The Salmon SEEson program helps people witness this amazing migration at locations around King County.

The Salmon SEEson website provides information on salmon-spotting locations throughout King County – from small streams and large rivers, to the Ballard Locks and hatcheries.

Some salmon-viewing opportunities are self-guided, while volunteer naturalists are available at other locations on select dates to help visitors spot the fish and learn about the salmon’s life cycle and habitat needs.

There are dozens of salmon-viewing events scheduled from September into December that likely offer the best chances of seeing salmon – particularly during a year when many stocks are returning in below-average numbers.

The 2019 sockeye run returning through the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks is the lowest return on record. Sockeye are affected by the changing climate, with variable ocean conditions and warming of streams and lakes. Warmer water increases predator metabolism and consumption of juvenile salmon and makes salmon more susceptible to disease. Numbers of returning chinook salmon also continue to trend below historic levels. Lake Sammamish’s native kokanee population has also declined in recent years, and King County and partners have taken emergency actions to prevent possible extinction.

Local governments and community groups around King County and Puget Sound are working to recover salmon populations by protecting and restoring habitat, managing stormwater runoff from streets and hard surfaces, and educating the public about what they can do to help.

Practicing water conservation and pollution prevention year-round helps salmon thrive, which means more fish can survive and continue their journey to the ocean and back to local streams and rivers.

For more information on the salmon-viewing sites listed below, visit the Salmon SEEson website, or call 206-477-7574. The website also includes tips for keeping water clean for salmon, orcas, and people.

Salmon SEEson is sponsored by the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council as part of its effort to recover salmon in the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed. Additional sponsors include the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed, the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum, King County, Duwamish Alive Coalition, and the Saving Water Partnership.

For more information, visit kingcounty.gov/salmon and click on Salmon SEEson, or call 206-477-7574.

Look for salmon on these dates at these locations:

• Chittenden Locks in Seattle (Ballard)

Best viewing through September (free tours/talks daily)

More info: 206-783-7059, visit ballardlocks.org/salmon-at-the-locks.html

Sponsored by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

• Duwamish River in Tukwila

Best viewing through November (self-guided)

North Wind’s Weir, 2914 S. 112th St.; Codiga Park, 12585 50th Pl. S.; Tukwila Gardens, 11269 E. Marginal Way S.; and Tukwila Urban Center Pedestrian Bridge, 6800 Green River Trail, Tukwila.

More info: info@duwamishalive.org or DuwamishAlive.org