Only 60-70 kokanee in local creeks compared to nearly 6,000 year ago

King County environmental scientists were expecting a low return of kokanee this year, but no one expected just how low the numbers would be, according to a report in The Issaquah Press.

Nearly 6,000 kokanee were counted in local creeks last year. This year, only 60 to 70.

'Starting at Lake Sammamish, [King County environmental scientist Dan Lantz] poked and prodded the vegetation along the creek, searching for any sign of the fish. Using polarizing glasses, he scanned the creek,' Lizz Giordano writes.

“As of mid-January, our surveys indicated that 60-70 fish have returned to spawning tributaries across the entire lake,” said Jim Bower, a fish ecologist with King County.

Read the entire story from The Issaquah Press here.

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