What the hell is wrong with people these days...........
Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 10:32 am
18,000 Salmon Fry Released, Killed In Mill Creek
Posted: 2:47 pm PST March 13,2010
Updated: 2:51 pm PST March 13,2010
MILL CREEK, Wash. -- Fortunately for an Everett School District environmental education program, more than 18,000 salmon fry that were released or killed by vandals have been replaced by the state at no charge.
What's harder to fix is the emotional impact of the crime, the Herald of Everett reported.
"The fish are like my children because I raise them from eggs," said Shelly Erickson, caretaker at the Lively Environmental Center, where the fish are kept. "It was horrific. It was awful."
Sometime late Monday or early Tuesday, someone entered the 22-acre property and opened screen doors over the concrete salmon tank, Erickson said.
Apparently using a small, hand-held net that was left behind, the vandal or vandals scooped out approximately 13,000 coho salmon fry and dumped them in Nickel Creek alongside the tank. It's believed they survived, but they were much smaller than fish that are normally released.
The vandals took out another 1,000 fish, dropped them on the wooden deck beside the tank and apparently stomped them to death.
An estimated 5,000 more were apparently taken away with a bucket and dumped in a pile on a path. Their food, kept in a bucket beside the tank, was carried in another bucket and dropped on top of them. Both buckets were left behind. About 2,000 fish were left in the tank.
Posted: 2:47 pm PST March 13,2010
Updated: 2:51 pm PST March 13,2010
MILL CREEK, Wash. -- Fortunately for an Everett School District environmental education program, more than 18,000 salmon fry that were released or killed by vandals have been replaced by the state at no charge.
What's harder to fix is the emotional impact of the crime, the Herald of Everett reported.
"The fish are like my children because I raise them from eggs," said Shelly Erickson, caretaker at the Lively Environmental Center, where the fish are kept. "It was horrific. It was awful."
Sometime late Monday or early Tuesday, someone entered the 22-acre property and opened screen doors over the concrete salmon tank, Erickson said.
Apparently using a small, hand-held net that was left behind, the vandal or vandals scooped out approximately 13,000 coho salmon fry and dumped them in Nickel Creek alongside the tank. It's believed they survived, but they were much smaller than fish that are normally released.
The vandals took out another 1,000 fish, dropped them on the wooden deck beside the tank and apparently stomped them to death.
An estimated 5,000 more were apparently taken away with a bucket and dumped in a pile on a path. Their food, kept in a bucket beside the tank, was carried in another bucket and dropped on top of them. Both buckets were left behind. About 2,000 fish were left in the tank.
![[mad]](./images/smilies/msp_mad.gif "Mad"){kind=small}
![[cursing]](./images/smilies/msp_cursing.gif "Cursing"){kind=small}
![[angry]](./images/smilies/msp_angry.gif "Angry"){kind=small}
This one's really troubling! I can't understand why anyone would jeopardize the future of a fishery or reserve like this even if it was "just for kicks". Even if they had some sort of reason for the actions taken I don't think it would ever be good enough! This kind of thing is what takes the future of fishing down a very grim path. It makes me sick just to think of it.:pale: 
