Recent rain has damaged hatcheries in Washington State, and struck a blow to the salmon population. The effects of the damage could be experienced for years to come, experts said.
The Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is still cleaning up from last week’s floods. They were working around the clock last week to make sure their pumps didn't fail. The staff can't feed many of their salmon right now until the water is clearer; that way, the young salmon can actually see and eat their food. It will take a lot of time and effort to recover, KOMO-TV news reported.
The Nisqually community endured severe floods; waters inundated one of their facilities, possibly impacting 600,000 coho salmon. The number of salmon that were swept away is uncertain. Sediment also spilled into egg trays, which may have killed some of them.
Some 30 miles away, the Puyallup Fish Hatchery said 30 percent of their salmon were released early due to the persistent rains. Some of their facilities were also damaged.
