On August 20, 2011, the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery celebrated 100 years of work with important fish stocks in Jefferson County and the Puget Sound/Hood Canal Region.
The hatchery was completed in August 1911, the brainchild of F.W.Hastings, who introduced a bill in 1903, calling for a fish hatchery on the Big Quilcene River. “The enormous catches of prime salmon which have recently been the order on Puget Sound prove conclusively even to the inexperienced mind that the supply will eventually be exhausted unless the propagation of this fish is carried on to an extent at least approaching the terrific inroads made in the salmon schools by the fishermen, and it is to conserve and promote the profitable industry that the government has taken a hand in scientifically propagating the salmon in the federal hatcheries.”
- Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader, 1903
To learn more about the history of the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery, check this site from the Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader, 2011:
2011 Beach Watchers, Katie and Keith were on the scene before the gates opened, setting up the display titled Stormwater - the major polluter of Puget Sound". Katie and Keith, along with fellow 2011 graduate, Tina, put in many hours before the event took place to zoom in on a message that would be appropriate to an event celebrating healthy fish.
The display points out that stormwater is toxic, coming from sources like yard run-off, roadways and car washing areas, animal waste and failing septic systems. It then leads you to the side showing things that you can do to help.
The hand-outs also centered on things a person could do to be a part of the solution: Turning the Tide on Toxics, Taking Care of Streams, Pick Up after your pet bookmarks, Rain Garden manuals and resources, Welcome to Your Watershed papers and Shore Stewards applications.
Over 100 people took a look at the booth and visited with us about water quality. We were glad to have been a part of the many agencies sharing in this super event. If you would like to know more about the Quilcene National Fish Hatchery, please visit their site http://www.fws.gov/quilcenenfh
This is a wonderful site celebrating the centennial anniversary. It has links about the day-to-day operations of the hatchery, a link about the history and links to many of the projects undertaken by the hatchery. Take a moment and take a virtual tour.
“In the early years, you didn’t hear the word conservation, it was all about fishing and industry and economy and development. Today, restoration efforts involving threatened species of Pacific salmon continue to grow in importance.”
-Dan Magneson, fishery biologist, Quilcene National Hatchery