Fish SpeciesSpring Chinook Salmon
One to three years later they will return as adult salmon to travel back upstream in the Columbia River to the Wenatchee River and finally to Icicle Creek. At that point they make their last big push up the hatchery fish ladder into the holding ponds where they will live out the rest of their days before they are ready to spawn and create a new generation of fish. Adult spring Chinook salmon enter the Columbia River from March through May. Spawning of these fish at Leavenworth NFH occurs in mid-August each year. Visit our Returns page to find out how many fish have returned last year. |
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Spring Chinook salmon are raised at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery for the first 18 months of their lives. In April of each year they are released from the hatchery raceways through underground pipes to Icicle Creek. From there they begin an arduous 500 mile journey down the Columbia River, through 7 major hydropower dams to finally reach the ocean.
