Ed Ronco, KCAW – Sitka
More than 1-million salmon fry died over the weekend in two separate accidents at Sitka hatcheries.
In a separate incident at the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery, some 120,000 Chinook and 120,000 Coho were killed. That’s according to Jim Seeland, vice chairman of the board for the Sitka Sound Science Center, which runs the hatchery. Seeland says the loss occurred when the hatchery’s water intake valve became blocked.
Seeland says for whatever reason, the alarm sent out its warning too late on Monday morning. He says about 5,000 fish were saved, and the hatchery had already released millions of chum and pink salmon earlier this year.
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