On March 29, a truck carrying roughly 102,000 baby salmon crashed on its way to a river in Oregon. What happened next is the stuff of childhood cartoon dreams.
It seems that the U.S. recently experienced its live-action roughneck remake of “Finding Nemo” when a 53-foot semi-truck crashed in northeast Oregon while carrying precious cargo, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The truck driver received only minor injuries during the crash. And roughly 77,000 of the 102,000 baby fish were able to escape into a nearby Lookingglass Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River.
The fish, technically known as spring Chinook smolts, were on their way to the Imnaha River. Those lost in the incident represent just 20% of the total number that will eventually be released into the water system.
77,000 baby salmon survive truck crash in Oregon by leaping into nearby creek https://t.co/LW1yrqJDse
— Live Science (@LiveScience) April 9, 2024
“We are thankful the ODFW employee driving the truck was not seriously injured,” ODFW fish hatchery coordinator for Eastern Oregon Andrew Gibbs said in the statement. “This should not impact our ability to collect future brood stock or maintain full production goals in the future.” (RELATED: This Very Common Fish Is Actually A Super Cool ‘Living Fossil’ Dinosaur)
The long-term issue is that there will likely be 500-900 fewer fish returning in the 2026 and 2027 seasons as a result of this one incident. And those who made it into Lookingglass Creek will probably return there and “produce 350-700 additional adults,” ODFW added.
Chinook salmon are pretty incredible fish. They’re born of freshwater streams before making their way to the oceans, according to Live Science. They typically spend about six years at sea before migrating back to the freshwater to spawn and then die. They’re also absolutely delicious.