We suspected this would happen as it has happened following releases many times over the years. If it rains too soon after a release before the smolts migrate to the river, they get killed by road wash — a chemical in tires identified by research in Washington State that coho are particularly susceptible to.

We counted a couple of dozen dead smolts today, but the place we usually see the most morts — the sediment pond — was too murky to see anything. I’ll go back later in the day when it has cleared.

As I was there, I saw a smolt throw itself out of the pond onto a sandy bank, before flopping back in the water. There was one mort floating on the surface, and there were several up on the banks in the artificial spawning channel.