A creek in Oregon received an unexpected influx of young salmon when a tanker transporting the fish overturned and spilled its load. Tens of thousands of these salmon found their way into the creek as a result of the accident.
According to state officials, the accident last Friday resulted in over 75% of the 102,000 Chinook salmon smolts successfully reaching Lookingglass Creek from the hatchery via the tanker.
According to Andrew Gibbs, a hatchery coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the surviving fish that were supposed to help increase the population of the threatened species in the Imnaha river “hit the water running.” Gibbs explained to the New York Times that these fish were expected to migrate through the Grande Ronde river and eventually reach the Pacific Ocean.
Around 26,000 young salmon, known as smolts, met their demise in a tragic incident. Their lifeless bodies were discovered either inside the overturned tanker or scattered along the creek’s banks, which is a tributary to the Grande Ronde. The department released a statement, revealing that the deceased fish accounted for approximately 20% of the total number intended to be released into the Imnaha this year. This unfortunate event will result in a reduction of around 500 to 900 adult fish returning to the area in the coming years.
The driver sustained only minor injuries in the single-vehicle crash when they lost control of the 53ft truck while navigating a sharp turn. The truck rolled onto its passenger side and tumbled over a rocky embankment, causing the sealed tank to rupture.
According to Gibbs, the Times reported that the salmon, which were around 18 months old, were being transported from the Lookingglass hatchery in Elgin, located approximately 300 miles east of Portland, to the Imnaha. The Imnaha is a well-liked spot for sport fishing. Gibbs described this transportation process as a “fish taxi.”
After arriving, they would have spent a few days adjusting to their new environment in a specially designed tank. They would then embark on a 650-mile journey through the Snake and Columbia rivers, making their way to the Pacific.
Salmon that successfully reach the ocean spend a period of two to three years searching for food before instinctively returning to their river of origin to spawn and ultimately perish. According to Gibbs, this remarkable life cycle involves the salmon relying on their sense of smell to navigate their way back to their birthplace.
Officials believe that the fish that spilled into Lookingglass Creek would see it as their spawning ground and eventually attempt to return there.
The state’s fish management operation includes the hatchery, which is responsible for raising salmon to support sport harvest and bolster the threatened wild population on the Imnaha, according to the press release from the department.
In 1982, the construction of the dam aimed to address the decline in spring Chinook and summer steelhead populations resulting from the development of four federal dams on the lower Snake River.
