Minter Creek Hatchery Failure

http://nwsportsmanmag.com/minter-hatcher...rs-disciplined/

Who woulda thought to check the battery cables more frequently than every few months (especially with a forecast for a wind storm)?

I am most disappointed in the fact that Staff did not perform an unscheduled test of the generator in the face of an incoming strong storm.

Having operated diesel engines all my life as part of my work I can see that being missed but sloppy. Most back up gen sets utilize a check list that you do point by point, inspect, and mark completed. For you old military dogs, they did not know about the run away prevent baffle? Christ that says they knew absolutely zero about the system they were operating. Those who have not operated diesels it is a cut off that shuts off the air if the engine runs away. I was trained to even slam a large book or something over the intake to cut the air off and evidently this one activated off the cut off button. Frankly the inspection was not the bottom line but the lack of clear training as to operation and maintinance. Lord!

"The department initially reported losing about 6.2 million Chinook salmon fry. However, a more robust inventory in the following months showed the loss to be roughly 4.1 million fish."



Wow, how do you miss count, 2.1 chinook fry????? Sounds like this hatchery staff has more than just a "lack of maintance" of a generator problem.

My thoughts too Rivrguy! This old Seabee Construction Electrician ran a few generators back in the day! Parlayed my experience to IBEW work and did work on high rise, hospital and computer room backup systems before retiring 18 years ago. Protocol calls for monthly checks and I only knew of one fail to start in those many years... Routine maintenance and proper TRAINING are imperative... Drop the ball? You bet! I read the whole PDF posted in NW Sportsman's magazine and saw the 3 unnamed individuals were disciplined but I would be curious to see what came down in the way of punishment! Oh please.............. Already took my BP meds for the day but I can feel another pill coming on...

Not the first time numbers have been overinflated. Makes one wonder how accurate any of the numbers are. Prime example is PS Steelhead. Plant big numbers and none return. Hmm? Could it be a smoke screen to keep our protests of the lack of production of fish at bay? I never have believed published pant numbers anyway. Numbers are to easy to modify to placate.

Yup. The fish counter at the Blue Creek trout hatchery on the Cowlitz was out of calibration for about 8 years. Really makes you wonder about the supposed smolt releases. What is not a mystery is how poor the steelhead fishing has been there the last 3 years, including this year so far. Geez Louise....

WDFW is an absolute trainwreck