Seattle: Salmon Days in Issaquah...or rather, Fishaquah

It was a beautiful Friday evening (Oct 3, 2014) at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery in Issaquah, Washington, just West of Seattle. It was the night that "Issaquah Salmon Days" festival begins and many many townspeople had come to the hatchery to see the salmon run.

We hung over the railing and took photos as fish after fish flung himself up barrier trying to get back home.

This is a map at the hatchery showing the lifespan and route of the salmon.

You can see the tank full of salmon (above). There is a wonderful video somewhere on the site that shows the purpose and practices of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. It is really well done and explains the life cycle of the salmon and how they aid in fertilizing the salmon eggs and raising the baby salmon (all the correct terms are escaping me) and releasing them into the wild to help protect and propagate the species.

You can see that the river is full of salmon, waiting for a chance to fling themselves up the river.

The entire town of Issaquah celebrates the return of the salmon with a 3-day festival (parade, fair, art show) and during the festival each year, the area is affectionately known as "Fish-aquah," which I think is adorable. That is town spirit.