Skamania Hatchery Shutting Down—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

Fewer steelhead will soon be swimming in Southwest Washington’s rivers. The state’s Skamania Hatchery off the West Fork of the Washougal River is getting ready to shut down.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife says it’ll start a three-year process to close the hatchery, which produces more than 300,000 steelhead each year for local anglers.

The closure is due to a lack of funding. Lawmakers only approved about $750,000 of the $1.9 million the agency asked for to keep both the Skamania and North Toutle hatcheries running.

Because of that, the state decided to keep North Toutle open instead. Some of Skamania’s fish production will shift to the Washougal and Beaver Creek hatcheries, but overall, the state expects to see about 160,000 fewer steelhead each year.