Bellingham Technical College: Fisheries & Aquaculture

08/25/2026

The popular Whatcom Creek hatchery Chinook fishery in downtown Bellingham kicked off Aug. 2 and is scheduled to be open Saturdays and Sundays only through Sept. 27; see fishing regulations or the Fish Washington mobile app for details.

The 2026 Whatcom Creek return forecast is 6,582 hatchery Chinook, with these fish typically arriving in inner Bellingham Bay and the area around the creek mouth in late-August or early-September after the first rain, or “freshet”, raises the water level in the creek.

These fall Chinook originate from WDFW’s Samish River Hatchery and are raised and released into Whatcom Creek through a collaboration between Bellingham Technical College: Fisheries & Aquaculture (BTC), Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and WDFW.

Whatcom Creek hatchery Chinook support forage for Southern Resident killer whales, salmon fisheries in marine areas, and terminal fisheries in Bellingham Bay and lower Whatcom Creek by recreational anglers, treaty tribes, and tribal youth.

Refer to our The Salmon Fishing Current blog for more on Whatcom Creek and other North Puget Sound salmon fisheries: wdfw.medium.com/the-salmon-fishing-current-blog-summer-and-fall-2026-edition-7a5510a6071c

06/20/2026

South Fork chinook population's small returns to Nooksack River prompted decades of recovery efforts

06/17/2026

06/15/2026

NSEA is hiring for our fall 2026 cohort of Environmental Educator interns!

Join an enthusiastic and energetic team that leads outdoor education field trips with 4th grade students. This internship focuses on professional development in the environmental and education fields, provides networking opportunities with local organizations, and builds on science communication and leadership skills for future careers.

Applications are due by July 31. Internship duration is September 9 - December 18.

Go to www.n-sea.org/flow or the link in our bio to learn more and apply!

06/14/2026

Are you a current college student looking to gain career experience in the natural resources field? 🏔️🐟Or maybe you’re looking to build environmental education experience? 🙌✨We have just the internship for you! SFEG is seeking applicants for our Environmental Education Internship! Click here to learn more and apply: https://www.skagitfisheries.org/about-2/job-openings/

06/09/2026

Molt Blitz is almost here! Join the Blitz Friday, June 26 by Molt Searching on a beach near you.

Need to learn how? Attend our virtual training June 24 to get up to speed!

Each year our Molt Search program with Washington State University Extension hosts Molt Blitz, a Salish Sea-wide effort to gather the largest single-day dataset of crab molts in Washington. Gathering photos of crab molts helps us learn more about where invasive European green crab might have spread, and also provides valuable info on important native species like Dungeness crab.

You can help by completing a Molt Search on June 26. Go to bit.ly/moltblitz2026, complete a Molt Search training in person or online, and get ready to Molt Blitz!

06/08/2026

Want to learn more about our new curriculum options? Check out the Cascadia Daily News article. We are enrolling now for fall courses!

College adds new certificates, explores seaweed farming

06/06/2026

Be sure to apply! Deadline in June 30th.

The foundation has scholarships available for any type of student at BTC regardless of your program, GPA, citizenship, financial situation, or any other status.