Why hundreds of dead salmon are being left in Eastern Washington’s Tucannon River

Visitors to the Tucannon River near Dayton may see salmon carcasses littering the river, but there is no cause for concern

About 700 carcasses from hatchery spawning will be placed in the river on Saturday by the nonprofit Tri-State Steelheaders and Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife staff.

The carcasses, many of them weighing 20 to 30 pounds, will provide food for aquatic insects that in turn can be eaten by juvenile salmon, steelhead and other fish.

Enough spawning salmon and steelhead used to return to the river to die and decay to provide the needed nutrients. But in recent years too few have spawned in the river to maintain a productive food web, according to Fish and Wildlife.

The salmon carcasses also provide food for otters, mink and other wildlife.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Why hundreds of dead salmon are being left in Eastern Washington’s Tucannon River."