Spillway Flooding Prompts Feather River Hatchery Closure

The following press release is courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife: 

Due to recent flooding from the Feather River, the Feather River Hatchery in Oroville will remain closed to the public until further notice.

The hatchery’s infrastructure and public viewing areas were damaged by high flood waters, silt and debris, making it unsafe for the public to be on the grounds or access the river via hatchery property.

“Our staff is focused on keeping the hatchery salmon and steelhead alive, and facility cleanup efforts won’t be completed for some time,” said Anna Kastner, Feather River Hatchery Manager. “We appreciate the public’s patience and support of our efforts to preserve these critical stocks under unusual and challenging circumstances. We’ll be very happy when all operations are back to normal.”

On Feb. 9 and 10, more than 60 people from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and other agencies successfully transferred more than five million Chinook salmon to an annex hatchery nine miles away. Fisheries staff also constructed an emergency filtration system for the remaining salmon and steelhead at the Oroville facility.

To date, losses at the hatchery have been minimal.