Summary

Federal protection encouraged for species that once numbered in the thousands

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In an effort to restore a species that was once a staple of the Snoqualmie Tribe, the Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously called on the federal government to list the Lake Sammamish Kokanee salmon as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

“Proper protection of the Lake Sammamish Kokanee salmon needs to begin immediately,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague, chair of the Council’s Physical Environment Committee and prime sponsor of the motion. “It is critical that the federal and state governments recognize their importance to our region and act now to prevent their extinction.”

“With the Kokanee population hovering at the brink of extinction, this is a matter for urgent and immediate action,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, co-sponsor of the motion and a member of the Watershed Resource Inventory Area 8 Salmon Recovery Council. “The Kokanee play a historic role in the Lake Sammamish ecosystem, and we must protect the small number that remain and take actions that will allow the species to survive.”

Lake Sammamish Kokanee are a landlocked, smaller form of sockeye salmon. They live entirely in Lake Sammamish and nearby streams. Historically, the population numbered in the thousands and the salmon were so abundant that they supported a subsistence fishery for the Snoqualmie Tribe. Now, the current population is estimated at less than 100 fish and the Lake Sammamish Kokanee face extinction.

A study conducted in January attributes the decline of the Lake Sammamish Kokanee directly to the loss of habitat quality and quantity. The study recommends that a hatchery program be implemented as soon as possible in order to protect the last remaining Lake Sammamish Kokanee.

Along with calling for the endangered species listing, the motion also recommends that the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife follow through with its proposal to implement an emergency conservation supplementation program this fall.