Long Live the Kings operates two unique hatcheries in Puget Sound: one at Glenwood Springs on Orcas Island, and the second at Lilliwaup on Hood Canal. LLTK was founded in 1986 on the belief that hatcheries, working in concert with habitat protection and restoration, could be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem for imperiled wild salmon populations. LLTK believes that allowing the needs of wild salmon to steer the design, operation, and evaluation of hatchery programs best serves the goals of wild salmon recovery and sustainable fisheries.

Centers for Salmon Recovery

Each of our hatcheries employs an approach tailored to the needs of the watershed in which it resides. Each is a model of how hatcheries can be a centerpiece of salmon recovery. Our hatchery managers are deeply involved in a wide variety of salmon and natural resource management activities in their watersheds. They ensure our hatchery programs are in tune with other local and regional efforts.

Venues for Education and Community Involvement

Each of our facilities offer a venue for hands-on education and community involvement—places where the complex and compelling life cycle of salmon comes alive. Visitors to our facilities can observe returning adults and learn about the environment that sustains these remarkable fish. Education is not our primary function, but our hatcheries are regularly made available to students, educators, and researchers. We also host regular visits from lawmakers, scientists, members of the business and conservation communities, and interested citizens.

Tools for Science and Research

LLTK partners with federal, state, and Tribal scientists to design, operate, and evaluate our hatchery programs. Examples of how our facilities have contributed to knowledge of salmon biology, fisheries, and ecology include:

Scientific Affirmation of Benefits of Natural Rearing

Chinook from our Glenwood Springs, Orcas Island, facility were included in a University of Washington study comparing various nutrient levels of hatchery-reared versus wild fish. The results showed that Glenwood chinook were more like wild fish than like other hatchery fish in their ability to maintain critical nutrient levels through their transition from fresh water to salt water, an important factor in maintaining a strong immune-response system. This means that they are better equipped than most hatchery fish to survive in the wild.

New Insights Into Fish Behavior

Winter steelhead reared at LLTK's Lilliwaup Creek, Hood Canal, facility are studied regularly at an artificial channel at NOAA Fisheries' Manchester Research Station. Recent observations confirmed that steelhead spawn mostly at night, an important survival tactic.

LLTK's operation of a smolt trap on the Hamma Hamma River has shed new light on the timing of threatened summer chum outmigration, which turns out to be much earlier than thought.

Habitat Restoration

From 1986 to 2007, LLTK operated a third conservation hatchery on the Wishkah River. Restoring habitat for salmon and other fish and wildlife was integral to our work at that facility. Soon after we completed construction of a new off-channel rearing pond, chum salmon were observed knocking rocks loose from the sides of the pond to create a gravel bottom they then used for spawning, a demonstration of the adaptability and resilience of salmon.