Quilcene River: Hatchery

Looking through fence at the rearing pond.

Fish species raised

Three of the five species of Pacific salmon are reared at this hatchery. The chinook chum -Oncorhynchus tshawytscha- and silver salmon -Oncorhynchus kisutch- return to the hatchery to spawn. Chum salmon -Oncorhynchus keta- enter Walcott Slough a few miles south of the hatchery. 650,000 each of chinook and silver salmon are reared. 2,500,000 chum salmon are reared annually.

A pair of chum salmon in their last days.

Almost to late!

Summer chum experienced a severe drop in abundance in the 1980s, and returns decreased to all time lows in 1989 and 1990 with less than a thousand spawner's each year. In response to this alarming decline, the state and tribal co-managers began to implement harvest management actions in 1992 to afford greater protection to summer chum in terminal area fisheries and, together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and citizen groups, initiated three summer chum hatchery supplementation programs. Still Hood Canal summer chum were listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1999.

The cache is located near the parking area for fishing access with outhouse facilities. If you plan to fish you need to have your Washington state parking permit displayed.

FTF: FunnyNose