Stock image of king Chinook salmon swimming in a Pacific Northwest river.Photo:randimal/Getty
randimal/Getty
Hundreds of thousands who were living in a California river are presumed dead from gas bubble disease.
On Saturday, theCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife(CDFW) announced that 830,000 fall-run Chinook salmon released from its Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County just days before are believed to have died in the Klamath River.
The young salmon, released on Feb. 26 into Fall Creek near the California-Oregon border, experienced “a large mortality” event the agency determined “based on monitoring data downstream,” according to CDFW’s release.
The fish had been hatched at the Fall Creek Fish Hatchery as part of the state’s “long-term commitment to supporting and restoring both Chinook and coho salmon runs on an undammed Klamath River.”
The Klamath River, which flows through Oregon and Northern California.Elis Cora/Getty
Elis Cora/Getty
The dam and tunnel, considered “old infrastructure,” are targeted for removal this year, according to the department.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife also points to the dam tunnel as “another sad reminder of how the Klamath River dams have harmed salmon runs for generations.” Future fish releases planned for later his month will now occur below the Iron Gate Dam.
Fall Creek Fish Hatchery still holds approximately 3.27 million “healthy,” fall-run Chinook salmon, per CDFW. It has an annual production goal of releasing 3.25 million of the species.
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“Salmon are an integral part of our shared history in California. Some of my youngest memories were of seeing the iconic fish up close with my father when I was growing up – an experience all Californians deserve,” Newsome said. “We’re doubling down to make sure this species not only adapts in the face of extreme weather but remains a fixture of California’s natural beauty and ecosystems for generations to come.”
source: people.com
