Chum Salmon

Suquamish Tribe donates fry for release in Carkeek Park

In its 10th year of a successful partnership, the Suquamish Tribe has donated 50,000 chum salmon fry to the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project, supporting the effort to teach the public about salmon and why it’s important to keep streams clean.

“A few years ago, we released 70,000 fry and 164 came back last year, which is a good return for us,” said Bill Hagen, the volunteer coordinator for the community group.

Ben Carkeek Park Transfer April 2013 web
Suquamish natural resources technician Ben Purser takes a dip net of chum salmon fry from the tribe’s Grovers Creek hatchery near Indianola. The fry were transferred to Carkeek Park’s Piper Creek in Seattle. More photos of the transfer can be found on NWIFC’s Flickr page. 

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Nisqually Valley News: decent chum run

Kelly Stonum at the Nisqually Valley News reports on the Nisqually winter chum run and the annual event to celebrate habitat restoration in Roy:

Chum salmon didn’t disappoint the public for their premiere appearance at Roy City Park.

Several salmon were spotted at the street crossing, within walking distance from the park during the Roy Salmon Homecoming, Saturday, Jan. 24.
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Puyallup Tribe “scouring for survivors” after floods

A reporter from the Puyallup Herald tagged along with some researchers from the Puyallup Tribe as they conducted their first salmon surveys after the damaging winter floods:

One of the major problems biologists see with flooding is what’s known as “scour.” High and often fast-moving water will “dig out all the eggs that were laid down,” said Marks, ruining chances for increased numbers of young fish. He noted that coho and chum salmon spawning “were more or less lost” during the recent flood.
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