Cushman Fisheries Programs
Tacoma Power supports fish populations and aquatic habitat throughout the Cushman Hydro Project. Fisheries programs help reintroduce and restore fish populations in the North Fork Skokomish River, where some species had been absent since the Cushman dams were built in the 1920s and 1930s.
In partnership with the Skokomish Indian Tribe, natural resource agencies and other partners, Tacoma Power operates hatcheries and fish collection and passage facilities and conducts monitoring and evaluation to support fish recovery.
For questions, contact cushman@cityoftacoma.org.
Cushman Hatcheries
Saltwater Park Sockeye Hatchery
The Saltwater Park Sockeye Hatchery, located on Hood Canal, raises sockeye salmon. Sockeye fry are released into Lake Cushman, where they grow before migrating downstream. Juvenile fish are collected and transported to the North Fork Skokomish River for release, while returning adults are collected at Cushman No. 2 Dam. The first adult sockeye returned in 2020.
North Fork Skokomish Hatchery
The North Fork Skokomish Salmon Hatchery, located near Lake Kokanee, raises spring Chinook salmon, winter-run steelhead and coho salmon. The hatchery supports efforts to restore these fish populations to the North Fork Skokomish River by raising fish for release into the watershed. The first adult spring Chinook from the program returned in 2018.
Fish Passage
Floating Juvenile Fish Collector
The floating fish collector at Cushman No. 1 Dam helps juvenile salmon and steelhead safely migrate downstream around the Cushman dams. Nets guide migrating smolts toward the collector and help prevent them from entering powerhouse turbines. Once collected, the fish are transported approximately three miles by truck and released into the North Fork Skokomish River to continue their downstream migration.
North Fork Powerhouse and Fish Passage Facility
The North Fork Powerhouse includes a fish collection and transportation system that helps adult salmon and steelhead migrate upstream. Water discharged from the turbines attracts returning fish into a collector, where they are moved into a transport hopper and lifted above Cushman No. 2 Dam. Fish are then sorted, counted and either transported to a hatchery for broodstock or returned to the river.
Resources
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Tacoma Power’s Cushman fisheries work has received four Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Awards from the National Hydropower Association:
- 2014: North Fork Skokomish Powerhouse and Fish Facility – Operational Excellence
- 2015: Little Falls Fish Passage Improvement – Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement
- 2016: Floating Surface Collector – Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement
- 2017: Cushman Hydro Project Hatcheries – Recreational, Environmental & Historical Enhancement