Floodwaters recede, but concerns grow for Washington salmon runs

ISSAQUAH, Wash. - While floodwaters across Washington are beginning to recede, state wildlife officials say the impact on salmon may only now be taking shape, with potential consequences stretching years into the future.

"We’ve still got high water in some places, standing water in others," said Chase Gunnell with the Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Severe flooding like we’ve seen the past few weeks can harm eggs that were recently laid."

He explained that sediment can bury eggs, while large gravel, rocks and boulders pushed downstream by floodwater can crush them.

Eggs and habitat at risk

Salmon eggs, laid earlier in riverbeds known as redds, are especially vulnerable during large flood events. Advocacy groups that work on sustainable fishing are watching conditions closely.

"Those salmon nests are in danger of being washed out and that effects the next generation of salmon," explained Jaques White of Long Live The Kings.

White said the Snohomish River is of particular concern following repeated high-flow events.

"These high flow events that have washed salmon eggs out of the stream and reduced what we call ‘recruitment’ for the next generation of young fish," said White.

Past floods offer warning signs

Fish & Wildlife reports previous floods show how damaging these events can be, particularly for species already under pressure.

"The Stillaguamish River for example in 2021," said Gunnell. "We saw significant impacts on pink salmon and chinook salmon following the major floods that happened in November."

Chinook salmon are among the species wildlife managers are watching most closely. Gunnell said impacts vary by watershed and species, noting that Chinook tend to spawn in main river channels, while other species can move into smaller creeks or sloughs.

"In addition to actually smothering or crushing salmon eggs floods can have an impact on the river ecosystem in other ways," said Gunnel. "As rivers are starting to recede, some of the boulders, and rocks and changes in river channel that we’re now seeing those are examples where a Chinook salmon or pink salmon that laid their eggs in September and October now may not be the main river channel."

Hatcheries working to offset losses

At hatcheries across the state, staff have spent the past two weeks working around the clock to protect fish as floodwaters surged.

That work included managing sediment that flowed into tanks, clearing debris and keeping fish alive during rapidly changing conditions.

"Which is really important at this time because there will be impacts on wild spawning salmon," said Gunnell. "This is when hatcheries are especially important to augment those runs with hatchery produced fish."

Long-term impacts still unknown

Despite early concerns, Gunnell said it will be months before the full scope of the damage is clear.

"We won’t know exactly what the impacts on salmon and other fish will be until we have a chance to go out in the spring and actually count how many salmon fry have hatched and how many are successfully migrating downstream or are rearing in the rivers," he said. 

Based on what biologists find in the months ahead, Gunnell said the flooding could affect fishing seasons beginning in 2027 and continuing in the years that follow.

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