County Briefs

State Route 302 near Victor closed until further notice

Heavy rainfall triggered roadway settlement and sloughing, causing state Route 302 to close east of Victor in Mason County.

According to a state Department of Transportation news release, An 80-foot section of highway settled more than 6 inches and WSDOT is in the process of identifying what work is needed to reopen the highway.

Only local traffic is allowed from milepost 1 in Mason County to milepost 7.5 in Pierce County. People who usually use state Route 302 will need to use a 22-mile detour on state Route 16 in Gorst or use alternative routes.

For more information, go to wsdot.wa.gov.

Hoodsport Hatchery loses more than 3.5 million chum

Hatchery crews at Hoodsport Hatchery said more than 3.5 million chum salmon died during last month’s flooding.

According to a state Department of Fish and Wildlife news release, the loss was due to extreme flooding caused by debris in the hatchery’s water intake. The incident coincided with an atmospheric river that prompted active flood warnings for the Skokomish River. Standby hatchery staff responded to equipment alarms throughout the night. The debris ultimately resulted in inadequate flows to hatchery incubation trays.

WDFW is analyzing the incident and will take action to prevent similar events. The loss accounts for about 9% of planned Hood Canal chum salmon releases between WDFW’s Hoodsport and McKernan hatcheries. Hatchery crews will mitigate the loss with surplus from the McKernan hatchery.

For more information, go to tinyurl.com/ca5zb2fm.

Recreational sea cucumber harvest suspended

State Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the closing of the recreational sea cucumber catch in Puget Sound.

According to a news release, the rule went into effect March 1 until further notice. The closure affects all marine areas in Puget Sound, but Hood Canal is always closed. The spawning closure period from March 1 to June 30 has been agreed to by sea cucumber co-managers.

For more information, contact Biologist and Echinoderm Fishery Manager Taylor Frierson at [email protected].