Help King County keep tabs on native salmon as a Salmon Watcher Program volunteer

September training sessions offered in Seattle, Renton, Bellevue, Woodinville

Many Pacific salmon species have begun the final stretch of their remarkable migration from the open ocean back to the King County rivers and streams of their birth, where they will spawn then die as their offspring begin life in the gravel below.

Monitoring salmon migration and spawning activities is an important part of fisheries management, as the data collected are used by agencies and groups working to help restore weak salmon runs and improve habitat for all fish and wildlife.

King County and partnering jurisdictions are looking for volunteer “salmon watchers” to keep an eye out for fish at streams throughout the Lake Washington watershed. Salmon watchers spend about 15 minutes twice a week during the fall and observe at a site along a stream for returning salmon.

You can become a salmon watcher by attending one of four, free classroom trainings to learn how to identify the salmon that spawn in King County streams. Trainings are scheduled for:

• Thursday, Sept.10, Bellevue City Hall, Bellevue;
• Tuesday, Sept. 15, Renton Community Center, Renton;
• Thursday, Sept. 17, Woodinville City Hall, Woodinville; and
• Tuesday, Sept. 29, Good Shepherd Center, Seattle.

All trainings are from 7 to 9 p.m. Show up a few minutes early to sign in.

Salmon watchers can choose a place to watch from among hundreds of established sites, or King County will create a new salmon-watching site that is convenient to work or home. No experience is necessary to become a salmon watcher, although past volunteers are always welcome.

For more information about the Salmon Watcher Program, please contact ecologist Jennifer Vanderhoof, 206-263-6533, or jennifer.vanderhoof@kingcounty.gov.

Related information

Salmon Watcher Program

Salmon and trout topics

King County Water and Land Resources