King County biologists recently reported the strongest return of adult kokanee salmon in the Lake Sammamish watershed in a decade, a potential breakthrough for the freshwater species after nearly going extinct a few years ago.

At least 6,800 adult kokanee salmon have returned from the lake to their spawning ground this season after 10 years of alarmingly low returns, including just 19 salmon returning to spawn during the 2017-2018 season. The strong return occurred six years after King County Executive Dow Constantine directed the Department of Natural Resources and Parks to enact emergency actions recommended by partners to prevent the possible extinction of a salmon population that is important to the region’s history and habitat. Read more.