The Issaquah Creek Integrated Fish Passage Improvement project presents an exciting opportunity to coordinate habitat, hatchery, and harvest actions in a Puget Sound watershed with endangered salmon. Issaquah Creek Dam, the focal point of the proposal, is currently equipped with fish passage facilities, but they are in disrepair. An overwhelming majority of adult fish that arrive at the base of the dam, including ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon and steelhead, are unable to successfully navigate the outdated ladder and utilize over 10 miles of quality spawning habitat.

This proposal is asking for Phase I funds to cover fish passage design and planning costs. Fish passage options must be carefully considered alongside concurrent habitat restoration and hatchery management improvements in Issaquah Creek. At the end of Phase I, a preferred fish passage design will be completed and a suite of complementary habitat, hatchery, and harvest management actions determined. These products will include an adaptive management, monitoring, and research plan. The work described in this proposal represents the planning effort required to align enhancement actions in Issaquah Creek with the "H-integration" principle that is currently the focus of the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish (WRIA 8) Technical Committee and Puget Sound Technical Recovery Team scientists. While this proposal focuses on the Issaquah Creek basin, it certainly benefits the entire watershed.