The Long Way
Jefferson County
An underwater view shows a large school of salmon swimming together.
Plate I. Salmon swimming, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From fws.gov
An outdoor view of a fish hatchery with raceways and mountains in the background.
Plate II. Fish raceways at Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From sequimgazette.com
An underwater view of several salmon swimming in a river.
Plate III. Coho salmon, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From fws.gov
An outdoor view of a fish hatchery with raceways, buildings, and mountains in the background.
Plate IV. Raceways and grounds, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From fws.gov
A man uses a wire mesh tray to sort red fish eggs indoors.
Plate V. Transferring salmon eggs, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From fws.gov
Close-up view of salmon alevins and eggs resting among pebbles underwater.
Plate VI. Salmon eggs and alevin, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From fws.gov
Underwater photograph of several salmon swimming in a river.
Plate VII. Coho salmon, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. From fws.gov

Quilcene National Fish Hatchery

Quilcene, Jefferson County, Washington. National fish hatchery.

Details

Map. Quilcene, Jefferson County, Washington. Larger map
Where
281 Fish Hatchery Road, Quilcene, WA 98376. Directions
When
Self-guided visitation weekdays 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Getting there
Two miles south of the town of Quilcene on Highway 101.
Fees
Free.
Access
Big Quilcene River and adjacent areas temporarily closed to public access for approximately 1.1 miles beginning on the downstream side of the Highway 101 bridge during Moon Valley construction; access resumes when construction finishes.
Walk-in or reserve
Walk-in self-guided visits; limited guided tours require appointments based on staff availability, call to schedule.
Phone
360-765-3334
Website
fws.gov
Managed by
Co-managed by the Port Gamble S'Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, Skokomish, Lower Elwha Klallam, and Suquamish Tribes.
Established
1911.

Has a small one-room Visitor Center; the public is welcome to walk around the facility to see the fish ponds (raceways), fish ladder, fish weir, and the Big Quilcene River.

Notable Events

  1. 1930The hatchery shifted to a recreational focus, stocking trout for national parks and military reservations. sequimgazette.com
  2. 1970sTrout production was phased out as anadromous salmon production and support of treaty tribal fishing became more important. sequimgazette.com
  3. 2009A flood eroded around the water intake and supply pipeline, damaged alarm wiring and sensors, and washed away stored items. sequimgazette.com
  4. 2025The return was the largest on record and nearly tripled the previous ten-year annual return average. fws.gov
  5. 2026Historical fish-production, transfer, and stocking records and scientific equipment accumulated since opening were sent to the National Fish and Aquatic Conservation Archives for preservation. fws.gov

People

  • Dan Magneson, assistant hatchery manager.
  • Ron Wong, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery manager.

Sources

  1. fws.gov/fish-hatchery/quilcene
  2. fws.gov/fish-hatchery/quilcene/visit-us
  3. fws.gov/fish-hatchery/quilcene/about-us
  4. fws.gov/fish-hatchery/quilcene/what-we-do
  5. fws.gov/story/hatchery-road-trip-quilcene
  6. fws.gov/story/2026-08/season-remember
  7. peninsuladailynews.com/2026/07/23/outdoors-river-restoration-sidelines-big-quilcene-river-coho-fishery
  8. pnwsalmoncenter.org/moon-valley
  9. sequimgazette.com/news/a-real-big-fish-story
  10. fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Olympic_PeninsulaNFHReview_FinalReport_May2009_FINAL_508.pdf