All Posts

Date: March 14, 2026 Location: Lower Elwha River, Indian Creek, and Lake Sutherland watershed By: Thom Worlund - Case Inlet Fishery Task Force Member I was recently invited and attended a Saturday Field Study Meeting to observe and learn of the work that has been done to help the Elwha River heal after removal of the upper and lower dams. The lower river dam was removed in September 2011 and the upper dam was removed in August of 2014. Our work focused on the restoration resu

March 2026 On Wednesday, March 11th, Task Force members Brad Pomroy and Art Whitson attended the North Mason High School Advisory Board meeting. The Case Inlet Fisheries Task Force has been involved in the North Mason High School Career and Tech Ed (CTE) program by assisting with the Aquaculture program being offered at the school. The Aquaculture program is in its second year and current participants will complete the program when they graduate in 2026/27. The program prepar

March 5, 2026 Present: Sommer Landers (Teacher), Mark LaRiviere (Case Inlet Fishery Task Force Member - Volunteer), and 16 NMHS students The monthly water quality sampling at the proposed coho delayed release enclosure site at Fair Harbor Marina was conducted by Sommer Landers, Aquaculture Science Teacher and her Aquaculture class as a field trip on March 5, 2026. Mark LaRiviere, Case Inlet Fishery Task Force Member, met them at the site and together Sommer and Mark introduce

October 2023 On October 12th we had the opportunity to meet with STEM educator Tim Smith and Superintendent Jeff Davis from the Pioneer Middle School. We learned that as part of their STEM program they have a curriculum focused on marine biology. We talked about how they may connect with the North Mason High School program once their program is launched. We are encouraged about the possibilities at both North Mason High School and the Pioneer Middle School.

November 2023 We had an opportunity to share our vision and work with attendees at the Grant School fall session. After an incredible Thanksgiving potluck event, we spent some time talking about the declining salmon runs in case inlet and shared how our work is focused education and projects to address the declining runs. The attendees were very engaged and offered their support for the work we are doing.

Date: December 9, 2025 Members of the Case Inlet Fishery Task Force joined about 25 students and staff from North Mason High's Natural Resources Career and Technical Education Program for a tour of the Minter Creek Salmon Hatchery. The tour was held on December 9, 2026. Hatchery staff provided a brief overview of the salmon life cycle and how the hatchery facility and staff provided fish at different stages of the life and salmon reproduction cycle. Students were able to obse

While we have not been active in providing updates to "Catch the Latest", the Case Inlet Fisheries Task Force has been very active working towards supporting salmon enhancement in Case Inlet and supporting the NMHS in their program to help students build skills and seek careers in fisheries management. Here are some of the areas we have been focused on: North Mason High School The Task Force continues to partner with the North Mason High School and serves on the Advisory Boar

November 2023 On November 28th we met with Mendy to discuss how we can partner to support the development of the Natural Resources Pathway at the North Mason High School. Mendy and her team are well connected with all of our local schools including the High School and we are encouraged by the opportunities to partner with them to support education going forward. The group has an incredible track record of supporting our community and salmon health in our area. We look forward

November 2023 The task force has been engaging with local schools and other organizations to understand ways we can apply our focus on education and research in order to get our youth involved. North Mason High School has been awarded a grant to develop a Natural Resources Pathway which will include education on aquaculture. The funding includes money to build net pens at the Fair Harbor Marina providing the permitting is approved. We are working with the school and other org

September 2023 On September 7 we provided a Task Force update at the Sheriff's breakfast meeting held at the Spencer Lake Tavern. There was a lot of engagement and questions form the attendees and a solid show of support for the work the Task Force is doing.

May 2023 The second net pen at Pt. Defiance was stocked with 52,000 smolts provided by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. This brings the total smolts at the Pt. Defiance net pens to 132,000 for this season. We are in preliminary discussions with Kelly Granger to understand the viability of installing similar temporary seasonal net pens at the Fair Harbor Marina. Kelly and his wife Cindy are excited about the possibility. We are also talking with the North Mason Schools to

April 2023 Task Force members visited the temporary smolt net pens at Pt. Defiance for the delivery of 50,000 smolts to the net pen. The project is a great example of how the community came together to make these net pens possible. A focus on education and research was key to getting the different groups on board. The SAMI school teachers and students are involved in managing the net pens, the Puyallup tribe donated 80,000 smolts this season and the WDFW will be following wit

March 2023 Task Force member Mark LaRiviere provided testimony at the WDFW Commissioners meeting held in March. Mark did a wonderful job describing why the Task Force was formed and sharing our concerns about the dwindling salmon populations in North Bay/Case Inlet. Mark spoke about our disappointment that none of the fish raised at Coulter Creek are released in our area and therefore do not return here. Mark reiterated our support for the completion of the Tumwater hatchery

March 2023 Task Force members Rick Witters and Brad Pomroy spent a morning meeting with hatchery manager Will Henderson from the Squaxin Island Tribe and with Wayne Harmond from NW Salmon Research. Wayne is a leader in salmon restoration projects across Puget Sound. We are grateful to them for taking the time to meet with us and share their experiences. Will provided us a tour of the net pens located off of Squaxin Island and introduced us to several members of his team. Thes

July 2022 Getting our community involved is essential for our work. We are constantly looking for ways to spread the work and to learn from our community members. In July of 2022 the Port of Allyn invited us to attend the Allyn Days event and POrt of Grapeview invited us to join them at their booth for the Grapeview Water and Arts festival. We are hoping to attend these events again in 2023.