Issaquah hatchery avoids closures

By JAKE LYNCH
Issaquah Reporter Staff Writer
December 19, 2011 · Updated 8:34 AM 

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As state governments all over the country search for ways to cut millions from their budgets, no stone is being left unturned. In news that sent tremors rippling close to home, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced it plans to close a 94-year-old fish hatchery in Butte Falls to help meet budget cuts caused by the recession. In Washington, the Voights Creek Hatchery on the Puyallup River watershed, and the Colville fish hatchery in the north-east of the state, are two hatcheries likely to be closed because of $30 million of budget cuts being made by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). But according to the Executive Director of the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Gestin Suttle, the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery has not been targeted for any major cuts this budget round. The Issaquah hatchery is a vital component of the city’s economy and identity. Suttle said there had been some staff restructuring as a result of the budget cuts. At present, WDFW are considering closing seven of the 88 hatcheries it operates, in addition to the reducing the production of salmon at some facilities. Suttle said that funding was a regular concern for the hatchery.

Contact Issaquah Reporter Staff Writer Jake Lynch at editor@issaquah-reporter.com.

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