These salmon are raised by Bellingham Technical College students as food for Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) and to support tribal and recreational fisheries.
BELLINGHAM – Drawn by late-summer rains, hatchery-produced Chinook salmon are returning to the mouth of Whatcom Creek in downtown Bellingham.
Though they’re following the same instinctive urge to swim upstream and spawn as their cousins in nearby rivers, these Chinook are not intended to reproduce in the wild or even to make it more than a mile up the urban creek.
The Chinook in lower Whatcom Creek originate from the Samish River, where Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)’s Samish Hatchery staff take eggs and milt (sperm) from adult broodstock. At the hatchery WDFW is joined by students from Bellingham Technical College (BTC)’s Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences program, who assist with the egg collection, spawning, and fertilizing process before transferring more than half a million eggs annually to BTC’s Perry Center in Maritime Heritage Park.
There, students and faculty incubate the eggs until they hatch and grow into fry, then feed and rear the tiny Chinook until they’re big enough to head out to sea. With support from the Lummi Nation and Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission staff, they carefully clip their adipose fins to mark them as hatchery-raised salmon. Finally, the BTC students release the fish near where Whatcom Creek flows into Bellingham Bay—all with three specific goals in mind:
- To provide an additional food source for struggling SRKW during the salmon’s return migration through the Salish Sea. Increased hatchery production to increase food for orcas — particularly near foraging areas important for SRKW such as the San Juan Islands — was recommended by Governor Jay Inslee’s Orca Task Force in its 2019 final report.
- To create opportunities for BTC students to learn how to raise salmon and operate a fish hatchery, preparing them for jobs with the state, Native American tribes, or other agencies or private aquaculture businesses.
- To support tribal and recreational salmon fishing opportunities throughout Puget Sound and in an accessible urban area where a boat or other expensive fishing gear is not required.
“We ask Bellingham residents and visitors to please be respectful of fishers,” said Julie Klacan, district fisheries biologist for WDFW. “The hatchery Chinook salmon returning to Whatcom Creek are a collaborative success story between Bellingham Technical College, the state, co-manager tribes, and the City of Bellingham.”
“The Chinook program has provided a wonderful expansion of the hands-on hatchery training for our students,” said Brittany Palm-Flawd, BTC Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences Faculty and Hatchery Manager. “Not only does it help them build valuable skills as they raise and release a new species, but they also get to see Washington’s co-management system in action. As the Chinook return to the college hatchery each year, BTC students really see their work make an impact on our fisheries and aquatic ecosystems.”
The state-managed salmon fishery in lower Whatcom Creek is open Saturdays and Sundays only through Sept. 15. Fishing is closed Monday through Friday. A valid fishing license and salmon Catch Record Card are required. Only hatchery Chinook may be retained; any other salmon caught must be released. Fishing is closed at night from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
An Anti-Snagging Rule is in effect during the state fishery, meaning fishing gear is restricted to a lure or bait with one single-point hook; check the regulations for additional details. Snagging is defined as an effort to take fish with a hook and line in a manner that the fish does not take the hook or hooks voluntarily in its mouth.
The fishery is open from the Whatcom Creek mouth upstream to the footbridge below Dupont Street. WDFW has posted new signs near the fishing area boundaries. Anglers should review fishing regulations or the Fish Washington mobile app before fishing.
Tribal fishers enrolled with the Lummi Nation or Nooksack Indian Tribe may fish Whatcom Creek according to their fishery rules and schedules, including certain weekdays. These co-managers have several special fisheries planned such as Tribal Youth Chinook Fishery days when gear will be available to loan to tribal youth.
More information on tribal fishing and salmon fisheries co-management is available on this WDFW webpage or at nwtreatytribes.org. Information on salmon life cycles is available on the State of Salmon webpage.
Reports of suspected poaching or unlawful fishing can be sent to WDFW Police by calling 877-933-9847, emailing reportpoaching@dfw.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife works to preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.