That's a lot of salmon! Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery shared video of an important step in salmon conservation. The hatchery raises a whopping 12.5 million young Tule Fall Chinook salmon each year to support fisheries. Here, salmon fry make their way down a tube to the next stop in their journey to the Columbia River. "Because of the migration pattern of the adult fish, this stock is a major contributor to the commercial, tribal, and recreational harvest along the Washington coast and in the Columbia River," per the hatchery. Salmon keep forest soils fertile and support an abundance of wildlife that depend on them for survival. According to NOAA, two species of chinook salmon are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, seven species are listed as threatened under the ESA, and one species is a candidate for listing under the ESA. #Salmon #ChinookSalmon #Conservation #Wildlife #WildlifeConservation #Endangered #EndangeredSpecies #AnimalLovers