Today the Willow Creek Salmon & Watershed Education Center received their delivery of 80,000 fertilized Coho eggs, that was an entire cooler full of eggs. Kaelie Spencer the Hatchery Program Manager, Sound Salmon Solutions representatives, Students from the Stream Team, (formally the Students Saving Salmon) and of course Olympic Fly Fishers Conservation representatives, Ed Kellison and Dennis Potter were there to help.
First the unfertilized eggs had to be removed from the batch with tweezers, then they were soaked in a dilute solution of iodine for ten minutes to remove any bad pathogens, after that they were rinsed in clear water and placed in the trays. All this only took about an hour and a half. There will be additional opportunities to support the hatchery coming up in February or so when the hatched eggs go into the rearing pond. If you’re interested in working with the Conservation there’s plenty of room for more volunteers.
