In a fishy catastrophe, a mechanical failure at the Samish Hatchery in Washington has led to the deaths of roughly 1 million young Chinook salmon, a department statement confirmed. The hatchery, which functions as a crucial player in the preservation of Chinook populations, is managed in partnership with the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe and rears approximately 6 million of these fish annually, aimed to bolster the diet of Southern Resident killer whales and to support various fisheries. This loss represents a sizable dent in the effort to sustain the marine ecosystem and local fishing economies.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), which operates the hatchery near Burlington, disclosed that the mishap occurred early Monday, April 29, after a stormy night swept debris into the hatchery's infrastructure leading to the doom of half of the salmon fry held in one of their ponds, these fish had been planned for release after a marking process to aid their identification and tracking in the wild. Despite this setback, the WDFW remains steadfast, insisting there will be no significant negative impacts to the killer whale populations or the region's fisheries, citing recent years of surplus returns of Chinook salmon.
According to the WDFW's statement, the trouble began when leaves and other debris clogged a screen that's used to filter the water for the fish, the result was a significant drop in water level and a dive in quality that the penned salmon couldn't survive. To add insult to injury, an alarm system that should have warned the hatchery staff failed to sound off, due to an electrical glitch that went unnoticed until it was too late, an investigation into the exact electrical failure is currently underway by the WDFW staff.
The remaining fry, lucky enough to have dodged the bullet of this unfortunate incident, will continue to be processed for mass marking—as is the procedure, which involves clipping of their adipose fins before being released back in the wild. The WDFW has reassured the public that they are handling the situation with appropriate seriousness and are committed to ensuring such a loss does not repeat itself in the future, efforts that one would hope could prevent any more unwelcome surprises in the journey of these little fish from hatchery to the vast blue yonder.
