The juvenile salmon restoration efforts on the Indian Island in Washington provided fast results after the removal of a causeway. This opened a passage for wildlife and now they’re thriving.
In the last 75 years, the two culverts of the causeway were the only way in which saltwater and the life in it traversed Oak Bay north to Killsut.
However, in 2020, one state project included the replacement of the causeway with a bridge, resulting in a major jump in the juvenile salmon population.
The Results from the Replacement of the Causeway with a Bridge Came Fast
According to the island’s longtime manager of the environmental program, Bill Kalina, he was shocked by the fast rise of the number of juvenile salmon living in the waters since the replacement took place.
Kalina explains that they didn’t expect the results so quickly; practically, they happened overnight.
Interestingly, during seining in the five years prior to the new bridge, they found only six juvenile salmon. However, during the year after the replacement of the causeway with a bridge, over two days in May, the volunteers counted almost 1000 juvenile salmon.
Additional Benefits Remain to Be Seen, Claims Kalina
Kalina is hopeful that other animals in the sea will also benefit from this, including the Olympia oyster.
The long-term effects of the bridge remain to be seen, according to Kalina.
However, he’s optimistic due to the high rise in the population of salmon and the higher likelihood of better news in the near future.
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