Overview

An Emergency Room for Imperiled Summer Chum, Steelhead and Chinook

Built entirely with private funds, the Lilliwaup Hatchery is situated just north of the great bend of Hood Canal, near the mouth of Lilliwaup Creek, on a verdant piece of land generously provided by the Lilliwaup Falls Generating Company. Tucked among moss-draped evergreens, the property's natural springs provide clean water, free of pathogens and of an ideal temperature for salmon.

Lilliwaup Hatchery's programs— including summer chum recovery in Lilliwaup Creek, and steelhead and chinook recovery in the nearby Hamma Hamma River— are the linchpin of Hood Canal salmonid-recovery efforts. Lilliwaup is currently the central rearing facility for the Hood Canal Steelhead Project, a multi-agency partnership begun by NOAA Fisheries and LLTK on the Hamma Hamma River to test a basin-wide approach to rebuilding depleted wild steelhead runs.

Learn more about the Hood Canal Steelhead Project.

A Center for Recovery, Research, and Community Involvement

The hatchery—operated in coordination with state, Tribal, and federal fishery managers—features 28 outdoor rearing tanks and 24 indoor starting tanks. It also provides office and meeting space where LLTK coordinates conservation efforts with agencies, local landowners, and community volunteers. 

LLTK's Lilliwaup Hatchery-based programs on the Hamma Hamma River are made possible by the generous support of the Robbins family, which owns the property on both sides of the salmon-accessible lower reach of the river.