Fish SpeciesIn 1964 a study was conducted to examine the potential of a salmon hatchery on the Quinault Indian Reservation. In cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Quinault Indian Tribal Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the biological, geological, hydrological, and engineering characteristics of all major streams and investigation narrowed the potential hatchery sites on the North Moclips River, Boulder Creek, Kestner Creek, Zeigler Creek, and Cook Creek. After careful review and analysis a new federal hatchery was authorized on July 7, 1964 by Appropriation Act (78 Stat.283); hence, Quinault National Fish Hatchery on Cook Creek. Today, the hatchery plays a vital role in restoration of coho, fall Chinook, chum salmon and steelhead runs in Cook Creek and Quinault River on the Quinault Indian Reservation as well as other rivers on the north coast of the Olympic Peninsula.
Spawning of adult fish occurs every week beginning in October and ends in February. Adult coho salmon are the first fish spawned while in November, December, and January the hatchery is bustling with returning adult steelhead. Chum and fall Chinook salmon are generally spawned in late October through early November. Fish released at the hatchery include 660,000 coho salmon, 1.5 million chum salmon, 400,000 fall Chinook, and 190,000 winter steelhead trout. Off-station releases include coho and steelhead fry into the Quinault, Raft and MoClips Rivers. Also 100,000 steelhead trout are planted into the Hoh River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Quinault Indian Nation work together through a steering committee to develop sound production goals that are consistent with the capacity of the hatchery to restore depleted salmon and steelhead to reservation waterways; specifically, the Quinault River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission places high priority on restoration of depleted anadromous fish stocks. In cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Hoh Nation, and the Quinault Indian Nation the following objectives are being achieved; restore salmon stocks on the north Pacific Coast to levels that will meet escapement objectives after harvest, maintain steelhead stocks in all North Coast watersheds to levels that will support sport and commercial harvests commensurate with historical harvest levels, and maintain all salmon in the North Coast that are managed for natural production at current levels while meeting escapement goals.
Unique to the hatchery’s fish production program is the Hoh River steelhead program. At the request of the Quinault Indian Nation over fifteen years ago Quinault NFH began rearing winter steelhead to be released into the Hoh River which is approximately seventy miles north of the hatchery. Today, 50,000 fish are released at both Chalaat Creek and Allan’s Bar on the Hoh River. As a condition of continuing this program several criteria must be met; 1) all adult steelhead spawned for this program must receive one hundred percent viral sampling. Negative results will be culled, and 2) the electrical fish barrier must remain operational everyday,all year around to prohibit adult fish and their progeny from accessing the hatchery’s primary water source which is Cook Creek located approximately two miles above the hatchery proper.
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from the Hoh River steelhead program the fall Chinook Salmon program
is one of the more unique fish production programs presently occurring
on station. This program incurs a cooperative effort between
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Quinault Nation. To
supplement adult fall Chinook salmon returns to the hatchery eggs were
taken at Quinault Nation Penned Rearing facility on Lake Quinault, fertilized,
and reared at the Lake until release. We then transfer male and female
gametes to the hatchery, fertilize the eggs and incubate the eggs in
the new Egg Quarantine Building for at least a 30 day period until they
are declared virus free by U.S. Fish and Wildlife pathologists. 
