NUTRIENT ENHANCEMENT

In the beginning, Fish First put 10,000 fertilized coho eggs in eight different egg boxes. Three years later, about seven to 15 fish returned to each box.

Then, Fish First realized that years of not having spawners on the creek had left it seriously deficient of nutrients. Volunteers started collecting hatchery carcasses and placing them in the streams, sometimes by truck, sometimes by hand carrying them upstream.

The result of putting nutrients back in the system are undeniable. Instead of seven to 15 fish returning per box, Fish First saw 250 to 400 fish return per box. While some of the increase can be attributable to a predictable cyclic swing in ocean conditions, a healthy part of the increase can be attributed to the nutrient enhancement efforts of Fish First.