Nov. 27, 2007

Media contacts:
Chris Gleason, Community & Media Services manager, (253) 502-8222
Mark LaRiviere, Tacoma Power senior fisheries biologist, (253) 502-8767

For many people, the sight of dead fish in a river might raise an alarm bell. For Tacoma Power, however, that sight in the Cowlitz River basin means the potential for a generation of hearty juvenile salmon. Before leaving a river to go to the ocean, juvenile salmon grow by eating salmon carcasses, salmon eggs and macro invertebrates that eat salmon carcasses.

Starting today and continuing through the winter, Tacoma Power and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will place coho salmon carcasses in the upper Cowlitz River basin. The carcasses are returning hatchery-reared coho that are not suitable for human consumption.

“Taking carcasses to the upper river will help the juvenile salmonids thrive and survive,” said Pat Frazier, WDFW regional fish biologist. “Encouraging their healthy development at this critical stage increases the ability for salmon to complete the life cycle and return to spawn as adults.”

Ultimately, placing salmon carcasses in the Cowlitz River will support the restoration of the ecosystems that rely on naturally spawning salmonids—eagles, otters, bears and other plants and animals that depend on nutrients in the river.

WDFW crews, using Tacoma Power vehicles, will place the carcasses below the waterline at a number of sites in the Cowlitz, Cispus and Tilton River basins.

“Most carcasses will be placed into the water and will be visible in the stream,” said Mark LaRiviere, Tacoma Power senior fisheries biologist.

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