There’s little good news these days for salmon in the Lake Washington watershed, and new information from researchers paints an even bleaker future for some of Washington state’s most cherished animals. The number of kokanee salmon returning to spawn in the tributaries of Lake Sammamish was low again this year, prompting King County to start looking at ways to preserve this freshwater species. On top of this, local sockeye species that migrate to the Pacific Ocean hit record low numbers last year because an unknown disease, or combination of diseases, is wiping out the adult salmon when they return to Lake Washington. In Lake Sammamish, around 100 kokanee returned to spawn this year, significantly higher than the 19 seen last year, but still much lower than levels that would indicate a healthy population. King County environmental affairs officer David St. John said the low number of returning fish provides evidence for their hypothesis that a lake condition known as “the squeeze” is killing the fish.
Link: www.seattleweekly.com/news/local-salmon-face-dire-future-amid-effects-of-climate-change/