NEAR VERNITA, Wash.-- An update on the Department of Fish and Wildlife's pilot project to catch wild salmon to put into hatcheries.
The project asked fishermen to catch wild salmon on the Columbia River and give them to the program for transportation to the hatchery.
Organizers were hoping to help diversify the gene pool for healthier fish. They hoped to gather 400 fish, but they only caught 18. But those 18 fish will still make an impact.
"From just these eighteen fish we should be able to fertilize about a hundred twenty thousand eggs at the hatchery. So even though it seems like small beginnings this really does go a long way. We will continue this effort hopefully in future years," said Paul Hoffarth, Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Fish and Wildlife plans to have an invite only event this weekend to catch more fish. They want to remind people the fishing season ended on Monday for the public, but they hope they can get more people to help with the cause next year.
