Angler Explains Remains Of Fish That Drew Probe

The mystery of two chinook salmon and a steelhead found on the Clearwater River last month has been solved.

Neither species can be legally caught from the Clearwater River. After hearing about a news report on the discovery of three carcasses at the Pink House boat ramp, a Clarkston, Wash., fisherman realized the fish must be those that he caught legally in Oregon and discarded in a trash container there.

Officials at the Idaho Fish and Game Department did not name the angler.

The agency has been investigating the incident as a possible violation of the Endangered Species Act.

The fisherman said he caught the two chinook near Tillamook on the Oregon coast and the steelhead on the Deschutes River.

Then he drove to Idaho on business and camped at the Pink House site, where he discarded the filleted carcasses.

A raccoon or other animal probably dragged the plastic bag containing the fish out of the trash can and onto the boat ramp, said an investigating officer.