Salmon

  October-November 2024

Southfork Nooksack River Outreach

Whatcom Watch

by Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association Staff The transition from spring to summer in the Pacific Northwest marks the time that one of our most iconic species is returning to freshwater across the state — salmon! Entering the river systems as … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Southfork Nooksack River Outreach

  August 2024

Re-imagining San Juan Streams

Whatcom Watch

by Meghan Fenwick From the iconic view near JB Farm on Orcas Island, tourists can catch a glimpse of grazing cattle and forests, framed by the peaks of Turtleback Mountain on the horizon. One piece of the scenery puzzle may … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Re-imagining San Juan Streams

  May 2023

Removing Local Barriers to Fish Passage

Whatcom Watch

by Luisa Loi In 2007, the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Washington determined that barriers to salmon passage contributed to greatly reduced salmon runs. Thus, these obstacles represented a violation of tribal fishing rights granted by … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Removing Local Barriers to Fish Passage

  December 2021

Nooksack Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration Project

Whatcom Watch

Surrounded by local farmers’ fields, the rebuilt landscape features state-of-the-art technology to restore salmon access to miles of stream habitat. Local farmers are unveiling a just-completed fish habitat restoration project that has re-opened miles of salmon stream on a tributary … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Nooksack Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration Project

  January 2021

Lummi Fishes Whatcom Creek for First Time in a Century

Whatcom Watch

by Kari Neumeyer Lummi tribal fishermen harvested salmon from Whatcom Creek in August, for the first time in at least 100 years. The Chinook salmon were released as juveniles in 2017 from the Bellingham Technical College’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Science … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Lummi Fishes Whatcom Creek for First Time in a Century

  January 2021

Salmon Now Free to Swim Upstream

Whatcom Watch

by Kari Neumeyer Two fish-blocking dams were torn down in the North Sound region over the summer, opening up pristine habitat for threatened salmon populations. The Tulalip Tribes worked with the city of Snohomish to remove a dam on the … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Salmon Now Free to Swim Upstream

  January 2021

Salmon Habitat Restoration Completed in Nooksack River

Whatcom Watch

by Kari Neumeyer The last of 127 engineered logjams were placed in the Farmhouse Reach of the North Fork Nooksack River this summer, completing an extensive multiyear salmon habitat restoration project. The reach is between Maple Falls and Deming (closer … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Salmon Habitat Restoration Completed in Nooksack River

  June 2019

Nooksack River: Salmon and Agriculture

Whatcom Watch

by Ron Kleinknecht Part 4 In Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series (1,2,3), I described the Nooksack River, some of its history, and the degradation of its habitats and waters. I also described how this degradation has imperiled … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Nooksack River: Salmon and Agriculture

  May 2019

The Nooksack River: A Treasure to Preserve

Whatcom Watch

by Ron Kleinknecht Part 3 Efforts to Reclaim the Nooksack   In Parts 1 and 2 of this series (1, 2), I described the Nooksack River and how its three forks joined from the glaciers and watersheds surrounding the Mount … Continue reading →

Comments Off on The Nooksack River: A Treasure to Preserve

  April 2019

The Nooksack River The History and Current State of the River

Whatcom Watch

    by Ron Kleinknecht Part 2 In part 1 of this series, I described the Nooksack River from its headwaters and contributing forks in the North Cascade Mountains through its course to the Salish Sea. (1) I made the … Continue reading →

Comments Off on The Nooksack River The History and Current State of the River