6PPD – Still Deadly, Still Poorly Understood

Remember 6PPD-quinone? (one of the most toxic to coho chemicals ever tested).  The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is lucky in that we have received enough healthy adults to meet our egg quota, but how many fish died in route that could have contributed to the Washington State fishing economy and the meeting of tribal harvest commitments?  It turns out that we don’t know.  At this point in time, we lack a post mortem protocol to determine if the high pre-spawn mortality we are seeing in the ladder and in Issaquah Creek is due to 6PPD-q or other causes.  If you want to help protect coho, please let your elected representatives know you care.  Our Washington State representatives at all levels know how to spell 6PPD-q, so you don’t need to educate them on the issue, just tell them that it is important to you as a constituent to do something about it. 

Submitted by Larry Franks