The Edmonds Stream Team completed its annual adult salmon surveys in Edmonds’ Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek (located in Meadowdale Beach Park) in December. The Stream Team documented the highest number of chum salmon spawners in November 2024 since surveys began in Shell Creek in 2017. A one-day count of adult chum salmon in Shell Creek Nov. 10 exceeded the sum of the total counts over the past three years.
Student volunteers from Meadowdale High School and Edmonds-Woodway High School as well as adult volunteers started the surveys in late September and started seeing large numbers of chum salmon entering both Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek in early November. By late November, most of the salmon had spawned and expired (salmon die shortly after spawning). A minimum estimate based just on the dead salmon recovered would be over 300 salmon returned to Shell Creek and 200 to Lunds Gulch Creek in 2024. Final estimates will be available after data analysis is completed in January.
The surveys not only documented the number and species (coho or chum salmon) observed, but included examination of dead salmon to determine species, sex, size, and spawning status and the condition of the habitat where they might lay their eggs (for example, clean gravel versus a sediment-impacted stream bed).
Some of the returning adult salmon appeared to be affected by toxic pollutants that enter the streams from storm drains and died in the creek before they could spawn. Others were killed by predators (racoons, river otters, eagles, herons) before they could spawn. The Stream Team found “pre-spawn mortalities” in both Shell and Lunds Gulch Creeks, and some of the fish had no predator marks, suggesting they may have been killed by toxic pollutants in the creeks. Several live coho salmon were observed to have the characteristic “erratic” behavior that leads to death from the effects of a compound in tire dust (6PPDq) found in stormwater that enters the creeks during rain events.
The Edmonds salmon surveys have focused on Shell and Lunds Gulch Creeks because they are the only streams in Edmonds that currently have adult salmon returning to spawn. Perrinville Creek had salmon until 2021, when the City of Edmonds blocked the creek’s connection to Puget Sound and diverted the creek outflow into a pipe to prevent residential flooding during rain events. Willow and Shellabarger Creeks had salmon until the 1960s, when the Port of Edmonds Marina was built and the Edmonds Marsh outlet was diverted into a 1,600-foot pipe exiting under Marina Beach to Puget Sound. Although Shell Creek has significant streambed sediment problems from upstream erosion in Yost Park and a manmade waterfall that blocks upstream access, the lower portion of the creek still has some suitable spawning habitat. much to the credit of Edmonds’ property owners who care about salmon and their use of the creek.
The Edmonds Stream Team not only counted salmon in the fall, but worked with property owners during the salmon migration to resolve salmon passage issues as they arose in both Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek. At the restored estuary created by the new railroad bridge in Meadowdale Beach Park, the Stream Team found that a summer’s growth of a freshwater plant called watercress was blocking salmon passage into the creek channel. The team worked with Snohomish County and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to create a path through the vegetation for salmon migration.
In Shell Creek, the Stream Team worked with a property owner to obtain an emergency hydraulics permit from WDFW to quickly resolve a unique situation where the excess sediment in Shell Creek built up under a bridge and blocked salmon passage (see related article here).
The Edmonds Stream Team thanks everyone who helped make this year’s surveys a success, including Shell Creek residents who allowed the Stream Team volunteers access to their backyards to do the surveys, the park rangers in Meadowdale Beach Park, the park visitors who texted their photos and videos, and donations from Edmonds’ Rotary Clubs, Olympic Fly Fishers and Puget Sound Anglers that allowed us to purchase chest waders, boots, and field supplies needed for the all-volunteer Edmonds Stream Team to function.
Final reports with additional photos and videos of the salmon will be posted online at EdmondsEnvironmentalCouncil.org in late January.
— Story and photos by Joe Scordino
Project leader, Edmonds Stream Team
Thank you to the high school Stream Team for increasing the odds of survival of our iconic and beloved salmon! Thanks to the adults who organized this and to Edmonds’ Rotary Clubs, Olympic Fly Fishers and Puget Sound Anglers for helping with gear. Makes me feel good about our community and the great people of all ages living here!
I had the great pleasure of roaming around the two salmon bearing streams with Joe Scordino to look for both freshly arrived and almost dead or dead spawned out salmon, thus getting to observe both the beginnings of this annual migration and the end of the process of what is truly an amazing event of nature. I went with him on several days when his real stream team of students was not on duty. He does this almost every day. The education and experience he is giving these young people is beyond priceless and an incredible contribution to our community. The situation with Perrinville Creek blockage being perpetrated and condoned by the City government itself is a blot on the good name of all the citizens who live here and claim Edmonds to be an exemplary Community for all others to emulate. It is time we start living up to being as good as we are telling the rest of the world we are.
What a wonderful post! Enlightening as well.
The Perrinville Creek blockage is truly a disgrace. But with city finances as they are, are there other ways to raise the necessary funding to clear the stream up? Crowd funding, maybe? If this were possible I’d certainly donate as generously as I could!
I agree. Perrinville Creek has a wonderful gravel spawning habitat. I know because I was down in the creek and saw it. Perhaps there’s money available from local, concerned tribes or the State. Certainly, the way Edmonds City Council handled the flooding problem was not ideal and leaves the council open to a lawsuit over its environmental practices.
Congratulations Joe Scardino and students. Let us build upon these successes!
This is another powerful example of the achievements of community volunteerism, aided by excellent leadership. While we celebrate these achievements, let us be sure to acknowledge the mistakes of the past that led us to need this recovery work. Our city managers & council members need to ensure that our upcoming zoning law changes, and developers are not enabled by short-sighted decisions that could easily lead to repeat the mistakes of the past. The city should encourage and participate in the these types of volunteer efforts. Great job to everyone on Joe’s team.
Great comment, Chris and I agree!
Volunteers are going to help this City since we are technically broke and have so many problems with all our watersheds. Not only is Joe (et al) educating these students of the importance of protecting our environment but also the importance of salmon recovery which aids Orca recovery.
The City Council has over a decade of data from the Stream Team and Council used to receive their annual reports. Unfortunately, the Nelson administration and that simple majority put a kibosh on those presentations. Hopefully Mayor Rosen and CP Tibbott will welcome this group and start having those student reports again.
The 2024 Comprehensive Plan has no protection for our watershed and citizens need to pay attention to any forthcoming changes such as creating “environmental sensitive” zoning so that the City doesn’t build in critical areas as a result of our bad code. For a detailed summary of all the City’s watershed problems and potential solutions visit http://www.edmondsenvironmentalcouncil.org as future generations will thank us for fighting in behalf of the environment. Clean drinking water is at stake as is the restoration of our Marsh and Perrinville’ s near-shore estuary potential. Currently, housing is allowed in our Marsh per our new Comprehensive Plan. Do you want that estuary ruined or should City Council look to ensure this zoning is changed?
Great question Nathanial. The two people I know with real expertise and years of pro activity on this issue are Joe, and Dianne Buckshnis who are President and Vice President respectively of the Edmonds Environmental Council that is referenced in the article. Full disclosure, I’m a board member too. They may want to try to give you a better answer than I can. We are seriously trying to work with the city amicably to try to solve some of these blatant and potentially blatant environmental problems if things aren’t done right for a change. Chum are often fairly large fish and are believed to supplement Chinook in the Orca diet so there is probably some recovery grant money out there somewhere if the city would attempt to go after it to solve some of this storm water run off issue. The city administration needs to become as proactive on environment as they are in meeting state demands for development.
Thanks to the Edmonds Stream Team, led by Joe Scordino, for the great work. They are responsible for the increased number of chum salmon spawners in Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek. And without their followup surveys, we wouldn’t have a picture of what’s happening. This is a result of volunteer effort over years by private individuals who rallied to make the effort successful as well as donations from the local civic groups mentioned. This is the kind of success that reflects so well on the whole city.
Way to go Joe & Stream Team!
Great work Joe and Stream Team. Proud of you!
Thomas P. Jameson, LTC USA (RET)
WDFW Fish Passage Division Manager
Chair Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board
This is great news! Thank you Joe and these students for what you do. It is important to get the future marine and stream biologists on board early.
Great news. Joe and the Stream Team are demonstrating what is possible if a stream has access to the Sound! Now let’s get our other Edmond’s stream as productive. Thanks again, Joe Scordino, and Stream Team, and the many others who’ve devoted their time and effort to our salmon.