Water pump failure at Rapid River Hatchery near Riggins causes loss of newly hatched Chinook salmon

During a routine facility check on Nov. 18, Rapid River Fish Hatchery staff detected a pump used to supply oxygenated water to the early rearing/incubation building had malfunctioned. The alarm system designed to identify water flow associated with pump failure also failed. 

Staff were able to turn on a secondary pump as soon as the situation was discovered, but the temporary interruption of flow resulted in the loss of roughly 1.2 million newly hatched Chinook – about one-third of the hatchery’s annual production.  

The cause of the pump and alarm failure is being investigated, and staff are taking around-the-clock shifts to monitor the pump until the cause of the pump and alarm failure has been determined, and repairs are made to secure the adequate water flow to the remaining fish

These inch-long Chinook would have been released to migrate to the ocean in spring 2027 and return in 2028, 2029 and 2030. Hatchery managers will be working with other hatchery facilities to try and reduce the impact on future fisheries.