Commissioners discuss fish mortality issue at Foster Reservoir

ALBANY — In recent days, Linn County Parks & Recreation officials have received numerous phone calls and emails concerning dead kokanee at Foster Reservoir east of Sweet Home, Parks Director Stacey Whaley told Commissioners Roger Nyquist and Sherrie Sprenger Tuesday morning.

Commissioner Will Tucker was not present.

Over the weekend, people visiting the reservoirs noticed many fish that were dead accumulating along the shoreline near Sunnyside Campground.

Whaley said Linn County has known for many months that the Army Corps of Engineers was going to lower the water level at Green Peter Reservoir — up to 200 feet — in an attempt to make it easier for young Chinook salmon and steelhead to pass through the dam’s regulating outlet instead of the power generating turbines.

This program is the Corps of Engineers’ way of meeting a federal injunction concerning fish passage issues.

Kokanee are landlocked salmon and they do not travel to the ocean and back to spawning grounds.

The Corps of Engineers believes the kokanee suffered from a condition known as barotrauma caused by a massive change in water pressure. It is much like scuba divers affected by decompression sickness or the “bends”

Kokanee are especially susceptible to water pressure adjustments, according to the Corps of Engineers.

Linn County’s boat ramps on Green Peter Reservoir have been out of the water for some time.

Commissioners Nyquist and Sprenger both addressed the issue.

Sprenger is an avid angler and said she has studied kokanee. She said one issue with kokanee in Green Peter is that at times, fish populations increase so much the fish are on the smallish side. Fewer fish competing for food, may mean an increase in fish size in coming years. The fish are so plentiful there is no size limit and the daily catch limit is 25 fish. Most trout limits are five per day.

Commissioner Nyquist compared the issue to the federal government’s Northern Spotted Owl’s recovery projects that failed in part because the dominance of the Barred Owl over the Spotted Owl was not factored into the equation correctly.

Nyquist suggested that perhaps Linn County should ask the Corps of Engineers to abandon this long-term project.

Whaley said she and her staff are closely monitoring the situation and have also distributed information to the public about not allowing dogs to eat the dead fish because they contain harmful bacteria.  

Those suggestions include:

• Keep your pet safe by keeping them away from the dead fish at Foster Reservoir.
• Dogs, cats and people can get incredibly sick from consuming salmon carcasses in any way. Salmon carcasses may harbor bacteria in their blood that can make dogs very sick.
• Salmon poisoning is caused when dogs eat a salmon carcass infected with an organism in the blood called Neorickettsia helminthoeca. Without treatment, salmon poisoning is often fatal. Symptoms include severe vomiting and diarrhea. Fortunately, with treatment most dogs will survive.
• If you see your dog eating a dead salmon, or even around one, take them to the veterinarian right away.
• Don't wait for your dog to get sick as prophylactic treatments can prevent a more serious illness.
• The sooner your dog gets treated, the less likely they will get sick and need expensive treatments.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Were told by Planning & Building Director Steve Wills that there were 300 total non-structural permits issued in September and 18 permits issued for new dwellings including four single family homes and three manufactured homes. There were 15 new code enforcement cases and 10 cases were closed. The commissioners also accepted an increase in the Wildfire Grant Program to $250,000.
• Linn County Accounting Officer Bill Palmer reported that county departments and offices are operating efficiently financially. He said that they should be spending about 25% of their 2023-24 budget but so, far all are below that: General Overall, 20.8%; General Road, 20.5%; Law Enforcement Levy, 18.4%; Health Department, 14.1%. Commissioner Nyquist praised department heads and elected officials for being judicious with their expenditures.
• Approved a contract for mediation services with Peaceful Family Solutions.
• Acknowledged codification of amendments to the Linn County Ambulance Service Area Code for the Oregon Health Authority and Trauma Systems.
• Approved a 25-year lease with the Army Corps of Engineers for property on which Lewis Creek Park on the north side of Foster Reservoir operates.

Media contact: Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer, 541-967-3825 or email apaul@co.linn.or.us.