Article Summary –
A creek in Oregon was restocked with over 75,000 young salmon accidentally when a tanker transporting them overturned. The tanker was carrying 102,000 Chinook salmon smolts from a hatchery to the Imnaha river; the surviving fish are expected to migrate through the Grande Ronde river to the Pacific Ocean. However, almost 26,000 smolts died in the accident, which will result in 500 to 900 fewer adult fish returning to the Imnaha river in the next few years.
Unexpected Oregon Creek Restocking After Fish Tanker Accident
An Oregon creek unintentionally received a restock of tens of thousands of Chinook salmon smolts when a tanker carrying fish overturned. The tanker was transporting more than 102,000 young salmon from a hatchery to the Imnaha river. Post-accident, 75% of the fish made it into Lookingglass Creek, a tributary to the Grande Ronde.
The fish, initially destined to increase the threatened species count in the Imnaha, adjusted to their new environment swiftly. Hatchery coordinator Andrew Gibbs stated that the fish were expected to migrate through the Grande Ronde river to the Pacific Ocean.
About 26,000 smolts unfortunately didn’t survive, their bodies either in the overturned tanker or scattered along the creek’s banks. The loss represents roughly 20% of the annual planned release into the Imnaha and will mean around 500 to 900 fewer adult fish returning over a span of a few years.
The 53ft fish transportation truck, or ‘fish taxi’, crashed after a sharp turn, resulting in only minor driver injuries. It rolled over a rocky embankment, rupturing its sealed tank. The salmon, approximately 18 months old, were being transported from the Lookingglass hatchery to Imnaha, a popular sport fishing destination.
The fish, upon reaching Imnaha, were supposed to acclimate in a special tank then begin a 650-mile journey through the Snake and Columbia rivers to reach the Pacific. After two to three years of foraging in the ocean, the salmon would return to their spawning ground. Salmon that ended up in Lookingglass Creek would likely consider it their spawning ground and attempt to return there.
The Lookingglass hatchery supplements the threatened wild salmon population on the Imnaha, as part of the state’s fish management operation. The hatchery was established in 1982 to compensate for spring Chinook and summer steelhead losses due to the construction of four federal dams on the lower Snake River.
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