Minter Creek Salmon Hatchery Tour

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 observe trays of fertilized eggs (photos 1&2) and learned when and how they would move from egg trays to holding tanks until they would be eventually released into the Puget Sound. During the visit students were able to observe a tanker truck of salmon smolts being moved from another holding facility into a holding pen (Photo 3). These fish would eventually be code wire tagged and fin clipped in preparation for release later in the spring 2026.

Hatchery staff also spent time showing the students some examples of returned salmon and other wildlife that interact with the hatchery (Photo 4).

See the photo’s below…