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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1999)
Disease dangerous for spawning salmon VANCOUVER, British Colum bia — Scientists are trying to identify disease outbreaks threatening commercially valu able salmon stocks that are preparing to spawn in water sheds throughout British Colum bia. Deaths reported among the first sockeye arriving at the Adams River already number in the “tens of thousands,’’ said Jay Hartling of the federal Fisheries Department. More than 680,000 fish are ex pected to arrive at the Adams sys tem over the next few weeks. “At first, they thought it was a gill infection,” Hartling said. “Now they think it’s some kind of kidney parasite.” No similar problem has been found among sockeye in Wash ington State, said Joan Thomas, health specialist with the state Fish and Wildlife Department. “We have very limited sockeye populations in Washington, and none of them are having any problems,” with parasites, she said. Sockeye runs began in June up the Skagit-Baker River system in Skagit County and in Lake Wash ington, Thomas said. At Weaver Creek, just south of Harrison Lake in British Colum bia, federal fisheries manager Vic Ewart confirmed that early ar rivals of sockeye salmon are dy ing in significant numbers. Mortalities numbered in “the low thousands,” but the bulk of an expected run of 200,000 sock eye has not yet arrived, he said. “We don’t know the extent of it yet,” he said. “It’s too early to tell.” The cause of the Weaver Creek deaths hasn’t yet been identified, but it appears similar to the Adams River outbreak, Ewart said. Meanwhile, at Scott Cove Creek among the islands which lie between the north end of Van couver Island and the mainland, a killer whale researcher said she has been catching escaped At lantic salmon displaying symp toms of a highly contagious dis ease that recently ravaged fish farms and wild stocks in Norway. “We’re catching them right out of the same pool where we catch wild coho,” Alexandra Morton said. Earlier this month, an estimat ed 30,000 Atlantic salmon es caped from a fish farm in the area. Two specimens she caught had large pus-filled boils that are symptoms of a disease called fu runculosis, Morton said. The boils on one of the fish had already ruptured, dispersing the highly contagious bacteria among the spawning coho that local groups have been working to re store, she said. “It’s so contagious,” she said. “This bacteria can last in water. It can thrive on wet wood.” She said she’s particularly con cerned because the stream where she’s been finding the escaped At lantics is adjacent to a main mi gration route for many salmon stocks heading for the Fraser Riv er system and its many tribu taries. The provincial Environment Ministry was investigating, spokesman Earl Warnock said. The Associated Press 007061 WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY PIZZA 343-3030 461-0842 1850 13TH Ave / Campus 1580 N. Park 746-3030 485-5675 1135 Mohawk Ave 2250 W. 18th St. $0.99 off-campus w/ college ID FREE DELIVERY! resh. Affordable. 5 Delicious Entrees under $ • PENNE MARINARA • JUST PEPPERONI PIZZA • SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS MEATBALL PIZZINI • FOUR CHEESE PIZZA r TWO FOR ONE Buy one entree, get one FREE! L Hurry, offer ends 11-30-99 684-7877 • 801E. 13lh Ave., Next to Starbucks. Good at Eugene location only. Present coupon when ordering. Only one coupon per visit per customer. Coupon is not redeemable for cash, for gift certificates or with any other coupon or special offer. No reproductions allowed. Applicable taxes paid by bearer. No COSh refund. © 1999 cuano! Cudno!, Inc. ITALIA* J For men &? women vinyl shoes & hoots shoes & boots platforms platforms > makeup makeup hot clothes wigs costumes hot clothes costumes wmi FACE TO IT! Wanna be in a Delphina ad? Then come in & sign up. We’ll dress you up and make you famous. Winner will be in their own Delphina ad in the Emerald Halloween edition (10/26). Tell your friends. Tell your roommates. Just don’t tell your mother. Contest ends 10/18. one regular priced item. Expires 10/15/99. 116900 . 1292 High Street • Eugene 343-3225 • www.findcoolclothes.com
