City Of Sammamish: It's The SEEson To See Kokanee In Sammamish

Press release from the City of Sammamish:

November 12, 2021

Fall is here, and salmon are returning to streams and rivers around Puget Sound to spawn. 

Kokanee are one of the few native salmon populations in Washington State. These “little red salmon” are smaller versions of the sockeye. Unlike anadromous salmon that migrate to the ocean and back to freshwater to spawn, kokanee spend their entire life in freshwater.

From early November to late January you might see kokanee salmon spawning runs in a handful of streams that flow into Lake Sammamish.

• Ebright Creek at the East Lake Sammamish Trail in Sammamish
• Zachuse Creek on East Lake Sammamish
• Lewis Creek at 185th Place SE in Issaquah
• Laughing Jacobs Creek near Lake Sammamish State Park

Click here for more viewing locations for the 2021 Salmos SEEson.

Thank You

Special thanks to the many community volunteers, members of the Snoqualmie Tribe, and Trout Unlimited for helping to bring kokanee back to Zackuse Creek. The Zackuse Creek Fish Passage and Stream Restoration Project worked to remedy blockages with culverts leading from the creek to Lake Sammamish.

We are also happy to celebrate the October completion of the Ebright Creek Fish Passage Project to restore the crossing at Ebright Creek. In the coming months, the City will provide more information on the completion of the Ebright Creek Fish Passage Project. In the meantime, please click the links to learn more about each project.

This press release was produced by the City of Sammamish. The views expressed here are the author’s own.