By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
Volunteers have just capped a busy spring of comings and goings by coho salmon in West Seattle creeks.
Because culvert construction has temporarily closed upper Fauntleroy Creek to Salmon in the Schools releases, volunteers organized by the Fauntleroy Watershed Council supported nine groups that put 634 fry into lower Fauntleroy Creek and another nine groups that put 920 fry into Longfellow Creek. A total of 686 preschoolers through high schoolers released fish and explored habitat.
Spring is also when coho smolts leave freshwater for their two years in saltwater. To count these “teenage” fish, volunteers checked net traps in upper and lower Fauntleroy Creek at least twice daily from mid March to mid May. They documented 16 healthy smolts, for a five-year average of 24.
“These comings and goings attracted new volunteers and proved that we could meet new challenges,” said fish guy Dennis Hinton. “Thanks to Shannon Ninburg, we maintained ties to schools temporarily releasing in Longfellow and, by welcoming our first group of neurodivergent students, we increased our ability to support all kids who want to get out in nature.”