Featured Species

We raise spring Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead. But our program differs from those of our sister hatcheries in Entiat and Leavenworth. We focus on supporting local genetics in the Methow and Okanogan basins. Coho and steelhead are collected to meet our broodstock broodstock
The reproductively mature adults in a population that breed (or spawn) and produce more individuals (offspring or progeny).

Learn more about broodstock (spawning) needs and spring Chinook return to the hatchery via our fish ladder. We keep the number of spring Chinook needed for spawning, and excess the rest to Native American tribes.

A white-haired man in a camouflage hunting jacket holds a plastic bag while a hatchery employee in wader and a ballcap with the Service patch presses milt from a male salmon into the bag.
Image Details
Volunteer Doug Reinika assists Jeremy Mail, a Winthrop National Fish Hatchery employee, in collecting milt from a male spring Chinook salmon during spawning.

Prior year fish returns:

  • 2022: 266 steelhead collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2022: 2,963 spring Chinook returned to Winthrop NFH.
  • 2022: 861 coho collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2021: 265 steelhead collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2021: 1,029 spring Chinook returned to Winthrop NFH.
  • 2021: 785 coho collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2020: 212 steelhead collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2020: 974 spring Chinook returned to Winthrop NFH.
  • 2020: 842 coho collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2019: 275 steelhead collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2019: 1,249 spring Chinook returned to Winthrop NFH.
  • 2019: 1,386 coho collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2018: 333 steelhead collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2018: 1,377 spring Chinook returned to Winthrop NFH.
  • 2018: 1,285 coho collected for Winthrop NFH.
  • 2017: 1,577 spring Chinook returned to Winthrop NFH.
  • 2017: 1,251 coho collected for Winthrop NFH.

Our Species