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POSTED: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008

Bellingham Hatchery on chopping block because of state money woes

BELLINGHAM — The 72-year-old Bellingham Hatchery in Whatcom Falls Park could close in June or even earlier, if Gov. Chris Gregorie’s proposed budget is approved by the state Legislature.

The hatchery is one of seven on the chopping block as Gregoire attempts to close a nearly $6 billion gap in the 2009-2011 state spending plan.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which operates 88 hatcheries, was told it had to cut $30.5 million. Of that total, $22 million would be from general fund spending and $8.5 million from the Wildlife fund.

Hunting and fishing license fees comprise much of the Wildlife fund.

The agency’s proposed cuts included 157 full-time equivalent jobs. Three of those are at Bellingham Hatchery.

The seven hatcheries proposed for closure were selected primarily because they weren’t in good shape and because part of their production could be shifted to nearby hatcheries, Fish and Wildlife officials said.

“We’ve got a lot of facilities that were built 50 years ago that are aged and deteriorated,” said Ron Warren, manager of the Hatcheries Division. The Bellingham Hatchery raises 102,000 rainbow trout and 330,000 kokanee annually, according to Warren.

Plans call for moving 30,000 rainbow trout to the Kendall Creek Hatchery, which is 21 miles away on the Mount Baker Highway, according to Warren.

The hatchery fish are released for sport fishing.

The Bellingham Hatchery also landed on the cut list because of a proposal to build a fish ladder in the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River at some point.

The ladder would enable salmon to get farther upriver, opening more spawning grounds.

But those fish also could transport virus from the ocean to the Middle Fork, and the Middle Fork’s water is diverted into Lake Whatcom and eventually winds up at the hatchery via Whatcom Creek.

That risk of contagion could restrict where the hatchery’s fish could be released, further reducing the hatchery’s value to state stocking programs. The hatchery was built in 1936.

Paul Leuthold, director of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department, was surprised by news of the proposed closure.

Looking at an agreement with Fish and Wildlife that allows the state to use the city land and dates back to 1935, Leuthold wondered whether the hatchery and its operations, which sit on 3 acres in Whatcom Falls Park, would revert to the city.

He said he’ll wait on the state’s decision.

“If they choose to cease and desist the operation, I’d like to find out from them how they’d like to close down,” Leuthold said. “I don’t know how to run a fish-rearing station.”

Leuthold said the hatchery is popular with visitors.

“It’s a pretty neat amenity to have in a park,” he said.

Fish and Wildlife also has buildings on the property, some of which it would like to continue using as offices.

Warren said the proposal was a tough one to make, given the impact on the public and employees.

“We have a target to hit, and as part of state government, feel compelled to hit that number and do our part … until the economy can improve again,” he said.