mizefish
1/14/2019 10:48:04 AMfivefish
1/14/2019 9:43:12 PMFishingTenor
1/14/2019 10:54:01 PMsebastes
1/16/2019 5:52:24 PMI work on kokanee recovery in Lake Sammamish so I thought I would share some of the history of the fishery that I have collected.
Historically, we have found there were three distinct kokanee runs in the Lake Sammamish/Washington Watershed: Early (Issaquah Creek), Middle (Lake Washington and Sammamish River), and Lake (tribs of Lake Sammamish). From the historical records we have dug up, prior to the cutting of balard ship canal and rerouting of the Cedar River (early 1900's) there were very few reports of coho or chinook in the system. The watershed was dominated by kokanee (landlocked sockeye) and Cutthroat. The fish population in the watershed has changed quite a bit with the introduction of chinook, coho, bass, perch, and a number of other species.
As for the status of the original kokanee runs...Unfortunately, the early kokanee run in issaquah creek were extirpated due to a belief that they carried disease which could harm the more valuable coho and chinook at the hatchery. The middle run may have either gone extinct or hybridized with planted baker lake sockeye. The "late" run is the last remaining native population of kokanee we have in the lake.
If you have more interest in kokanee restoration efforts in Lake Sammamish, i'm happy to share.
Dave