Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Mary Evans (center), manager of Tumwater Falls fish hatchery, harvests salmon eggs as virologist Cammy Mills collects samples Wednesday morning. Mario Troche is at right.

The Olympian

State eyes new fish hatchery at Tumwater's Pioneer Park

Harvesters expect up to 3.8 million eggs from Deschutes River salmon

JOHN DODGE, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published October 4, 2001

TUMWATER -- Working in cramped, makeshift quarters at Tumwater Falls, state Department of Fish and Wildlife employees are in the midst of securing up to 3.8 million salmon eggs from Deschutes River fall chinook salmon.

The eggs milked and fertilized from spawning fish this fall will produce many of the big fish that recreational and tribal fishers will catch in South Sound three or fours years from now.

If all goes according to plan, those adult fish or their progeny could be returning to a new, state-of-the-art hatchery on the banks of the Deschutes River -- perhaps at Pioneer Park in Tumwater.

Not enough room

It's easy to make a case for a new hatchery, said Rich Eltrich, manager of South Sound hatcheries for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The Tumwater Falls hatchery lacks the incubation room and rearing ponds to keep the eggs and young fish in one place until they are ready for release into marine waters in the spring.

This means the eggs and chinook fry are reared at three other hatcheries outside the watershed before they are returned for release into their native Deschutes River.

"We're out of compliance with our fish-disease health policy," Eltrich said.

Science shows that fish health and survival rates are best when the salmon stay in their native watershed and are handled the fewest times possible.

One site also reduces the likelihood of adult fish straying into other rivers and streams when it is time for them to migrate home.

Eager to remedy the problem, the state agency has hired FishPro of Port Orchard to assess possible sites for a new hatchery, including Tumwater Historical Park, the old Olympia brewery and Pioneer Park.

Pioneer Park site

Pioneer Park is emerging as the preferred choice, Tumwater Falls hatchery manager Mary Evans said.

The city of Tumwater sees some benefit in having a hatchery complex at the park, city water resources program manager Kathy Callison said.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for public education on water quality, watershed health and salmon," Callison said.

"It's a natural," agreed Jim Tuggle, who serves on the boards of Tumwater parks and the Olympia chapter of Trout Unlimited, a conservation group.

The ample space at Pioneer Park would provide room for steelhead rearing and fishing opportunities for people with disabilities, Tuggle said.

"It's a chance to take better advantage of an urban salmon run," Tuggle said.

Hatchery project supporters envision something like the Issaquah hatchery, which emphasizes public education, viewing platforms and a strong volunteer staff that hosts some 300,000 visitors a year.

A new hatchery also would allow Fish and Wildlife to eliminate fish-rearing in Percival Cove at Capitol Lake. Fish-feeding there has been identified as one of the sources of phosphorous pollution in the lake.

"To improve water quality, we need to get out of Percival Cove," Eltrich said.

Timetable, cost

The hatchery project could be three to five years away and could cost $3 million to $5 million, he said.

Funding, water supply and environmental permits all are possible obstacles to overcome, Eltrich said.

The FishPro environmental assessment of various sites is due at the Fish and Wildlife office in April, Eltrich said.

John Dodge covers the environment and energy for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5444.

Celebrate salmon

A Return of the Salmon festival is set for Tumwater Falls Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The festival features salmon lectures, demonstrations of hatchery spawning activities and guided walks to see salmon spawning in the wild.

The event is sponsored by the Olympia chapter of Trout Unlimited.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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