Please join the Kokanee Work Group, elected officials, the Snoqualmie Tribe and caring citizens on October 9 at the LSSP boat launch where we will be releasing about 100 of the “extended rearing” kokanee fry that were raised in the Issaquah Hatchery or in a private pond in Sammamish. There will be solemn and ceremonial moments to acknowledge the challenge we are tackling and to mark our deeply held commitment to this work. 

There will be brief speeches about kokanee recovery from Washington State Parks, county, city and Tribal officials. Snoqualmie Tribe members will then load their canoe with kokanee fry and paddle them out into the lake for release. The kokanee will be released far from the shore of the lake and during sunset to reduce the amount of predation by other fish. 

These kokanee fry are part of a strategy to restore the native kokanee population to healthy levels after decades of decline.

The first fry release in Lake Sammamish was in spring 2010, with ceremonial releases each spring through 2016.  There were no fry available for release the last two years. The release returns this year thanks to county biologists and the cooperation of the state fish hatchery. The release is held in October or in the spring while the lake is cooler and better-oxygenated.