Lots of Dead Female Pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) Salmon

Surface Waters / Wetlands

Fish

Death / Die-off / Decline

Golovin, Alaska, United States

DMS:	N 64º 32' 35.988" W 163º 1' 45.012"
Lat/Lng:	64.54333 -163.02917

Nearby

Warm water near Golovin is hurting pink salmon. Many salmon caught had red speckled dots on flesh, raising concerns about food safety. Female pink salmon were seen dead in the bay.

Observation by Carol Oliver:

Been very hot! It’s been a few years since I’ve actually gone swimming! This year I did. Also did kayaking in the Bay--lots of fresh dead female pinks, very sad to see! We cut over a hundred pinks last night and had to throw fish with red speckled dots on flesh. Kind of afraid to eat the fish: We also saw other little species of fish, small fry, etc.

Comments from LEO Editors:

LEO has received several observations in the past week about salmon mortalities in rivers along the western coast, possibly related to warm water temperatures from the recent high temperatures across the state.

These observations are being forwarded to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Norton Sound Health Corporation.