The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Fisheries Division operates two salmon production hatcheries: White River Hatchery and Keta Creek Hatchery. Together, these facilities strive to fertilize over 10 million Chinook, coho, and chum salmon eggs annually. Fish production accomplished the work this year with assistance of Harvest Management and Habitat staff.

Spring Chinook are collected from the Mud Mountain Dam Fish Passage Facility on the White River, held at, and spawned at the White River Hatchery. Spring Chinook eggs are provided to other in-basin facilities for rearing and release from acclimation ponds in the upper White River watershed and other spring Chinook are reared at and released directly from the hatchery. White River Hatchery provides male spring Chinook to the satellite spring Chinook program operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) at Hupp Springs. This facility is reinitiating juvenile transfers to the acclimation ponds in the upper White River to maintain genetic linkage between programs. In recent years, White River Hatchery staff have assisted with the resurrection of a winter steelhead supplementation program that produces juveniles for release in the upper White River watershed.

Coho and chum are collected from Crisp Creek, held at, and spawned at the Keta Creek Hatchery December. Coho for the on-station hatchery releases and the Elliott Bay net pen program are produced at Keta Creek Hatchery. Coho for the Elliott Bay net pen program are transferred to Palmer Rearing Ponds after initial rearing at Keta Creek Hatchery and the final transfer to the Elliott Bay net pens occurs during February. The chum program at Keta Creek Hatchery is the only chum salmon program on the Green River.

White River Hatchery

• Collect and hold adult spring Chinook for 3-5 months prior to spawning
• Fertilize and incubate up to 1,750,000 Spring Chinook eggs
• Release up to 750,000 fingerlings on-site into the White River
• Provide up to 800,000 eyed eggs to WDFW’s Puyallup Trout Hatchery for acclimation and release in the upper White River
• Collect and spawn steelhead for rearing and release in the upper White River

Keta Creek Hatchery

• Collect and hold adult coho and chum for 1-6 weeks prior to spawning
• Fertilize and incubate up to 2,300,000 coho eggs and release up to 1,000,000 coho on-station and up to 1,000,000 coho in Elliott Bay (some of these coho are transferred from  WDFW’s Soos Creek Hatchery)
• Fertilize and incubate up to 6,000,000 chum eggs and release up to 5,500,000 juveniles on-station
• Feed and monitor Chinook and coho held at WDFW’s Palmer Rearing Ponds
• Host two trout derbies for Muckleshoot Tribal and community members
• Assist in stocking trout into White Lake fishing