Native salmon – including sockeye, chinook, coho and chum – have begun their journey from the open ocean to their birthplaces in streams and rivers that feed into Puget Sound. The Salmon SEEson program helps people witness this amazing migration at locations around King County.
The Salmon SEEson website provides information on salmon-spotting locations throughout King County – from small streams and large rivers, to hatcheries.
Some salmon-viewing opportunities are self-guided, while volunteer naturalists are available at other locations on select dates to help visitors spot the fish and learn about the salmon’s life cycle and habitat needs.
There are dozens of salmon-viewing events scheduled from September into December that likely offer the best chances of seeing salmon – particularly during a year when many stocks are returning in below-average numbers.
For example, the 2018 sockeye run returning through the fish ladder at the Chittenden Locks in Ballard has been one of the lowest on record, falling well short of the preseason forecast. Numbers of returning chinook salmon continue to trend below historic levels, too.
Local governments and community groups around King County and Puget Sound are working to recover salmon populations by protecting and restoring habitat, managing stormwater runoff from streets and hard surfaces, and educating the public about what they can do to help.
Despite the wet winter and spring, it has been a hot and dry summer – and that can make the migration home more stressful for salmon returning to spawn.
Practicing water conservation and pollution prevention year-round helps salmon thrive, which means more fish can survive their journey out to the ocean and back and continue to populate local streams and rivers.
For more information on any or all of the salmon-viewing sites, visit the Salmon SEEson website, or call 206-477-7574. The website also includes tips for keeping water clean for salmon, orcas, and people.
Salmon SEEson is sponsored by the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council as part of its effort to recover salmon in the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed. Additional sponsors include the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed, the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum, King County, Duwamish Alive Coalition, and the Saving Water Partnership.
For more information, visit kingcounty.gov/salmon and click on Salmon SEEson, or call 206-477-7574.
Look for salmon on these dates at these local locations:
• Duwamish River in Tukwila
Best viewing through November (self-guided)
North Wind’s Weir, 2914 S. 112th St., Codiga Park, 12585 50th Pl. S., and Tukwila Gardens, 11269 E. Marginal Way S.
More info: info@duwamishalive.org or DuwamishAlive.org
Sponsored by Duwamish Alive Coalition
• Whitney Bridge Park on the Green River near Auburn
Best viewing through December (self-guided)
212th Way SE and SE Green Valley Road, near Auburn
More info: 206-529-9467
Sponsored by Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group
• Soos Creek Hatchery near Auburn
Best viewing through October, open daily, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
13030 Auburn-Black Diamond Road, Auburn
More info: 253-931-3950
Managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Cedar River Salmon Journey near Renton
Best viewing through October (learn from volunteer naturalists from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Oct. 7-8, 13-14, 20-21, and 27-28)
Renton Library, Cedar River Park, Cavanaugh Pond, and Landsburg Park and Dam
More info: 206-792-5851 or seattleaquarium.org/salmon-journey
Sponsored by the Seattle Aquarium
