Hatchery Salmon Die

Sun., Feb. 8, 1998

Associated Press

Fish management

Equipment failure is being blamed for killing an estimated 3.7 million juvenile salmon at the Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery near Cook, Wash.

The fish suffocated when the supply of fresh water to their incubation trays was interrupted recently, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said.

The loss represented about 95 percent of the hatchery’s stock of upriver bright fall chinook. Hatchery officials said they hoped to replace at least some of the fish with stock from other hatcheries.

The fish that were killed had been spawned in October and November, and were scheduled to be moved to ponds next month.

Spring chinook salmon fry in the same building were not affected by the loss of water flow, because they were in tanks that contained more water and lower densities of fish.

“There may be an impact on tribal, sport and commercial harvest of upriver bright fall chinook salmon from this loss,” hatchery manager Speros Doulos said.

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