F.I.S.H. Hosts Lecture: Conservation Efforts for Lake Sammamish Kokanee

Two US Fish & Wildlife Service biologists, Jeff Chan and Roger Tabor, will present a lecture about the Lake Sammamish Kokanee program along with Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) Region 4 Hatchery Manager, Doug Hatfield. The program, presented by the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, begins at 6 p.m., May 23, at the Watershed Science Center on the grounds of the and is open to the public.

Chan & Tabor will provide background information on the Kokanee Work Group, kokanee versus sockeye, the status of the Lake Sammamish Kokanee population, the threats/limiting factors to the population, and finally talk about the conservation strategy/efforts for this population. Hatfield will cover the details of the innovative effort going on at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and its success to date.

Chan has worked as a fisheries biologist for over 20 years and currently works in the Listing and Recovery Division, where his primary responsibilities include recovery planning for ESA-listed species such as the threatened bull trout, and conservation efforts for species of concern such as the Lake Sammamish kokanee. Tabor has worked primarily in the Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish basins for over 20 years on a variety of applied management studies including sockeye and kokanee studies. Hatfield has a 30 year career with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and oversees more than 20 hatcheries throughout central and northern Puget Sound.

Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (F.I.S.H.) is a volunteer and membership based nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. Through educational programs in school classrooms and at the hatchery, FISH educates the community about the salmon lifecycle and inspires stewardship of the Puget Sound watershed.