Story, Photos & Video by Don Backman for the Tillamook County Pioneer
“Ten!”
“Anyone need more fish?”
“Wiggler!”
The Whiskey Creek Fish Hatchery hummed with the annual fin-clipping event. A large crowd of volunteers stood nearly elbow to elbow at stations along both sides of the long row of tables as they carefully clipped the adipose fins on the tiny spring chinook salmon. Other volunteers transported more fish in tiny nets to those who were running out or were doing one of the other many jobs such as counting fin clips or using fine mesh nets on a long pole to dip the little fish out of the rearing pond.
After running non-stop for 30 years, the annual event was paused for three years during the Covid outbreak. “I didn’t sleep much last night or the night before because I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough people showing up,” longtime organization president Jerry Dove, who is now retired from that position, said. “This turnout is incredible!” Dove was visibly excited and pleased as he was pleasantly interrupted by a steady stream of people wanting to buy drawing tickets or memberships. Jim Skaar, the new president, was busy running the event, Dove said, so he wasn’t available.
Dove explained that memberships were down. “Covid hurt our memberships,” he explained. “It’s good to see people are back.” He went on to explain that a Tillamook Anglers membership is twenty dollars a year, and they put on two events. The fin clipping is one, and they also have a fishing day for children with disabilities. “That is amazing. A group of kids arrives on a bus, and in moments someone calls out and there is a volunteer right there for every single kid to take them fishing.”
“When is the rummage sale?” someone asked. Dove responded that it wasn’t set yet but would be held sometime in August. The annual Tillamook Anglers garage sale fundraiser is a popular favorite among fishermen. A group of men walked up and introduced themselves. They were from a Keiser, Oregon fishing club and were there to run the barbecue for lunch. Tillamook Anglers had planned to feed lunch to 400 people.
Denise Gates, from Portland, waited along the wall for her turn to swap in at a clipping station. “We started coming here a couple of years before Covid,” she said. “It is fun.” She explained that they missed it. “Today my son is here with a friend, and I’m waiting for my turn. The boys like to fish and this is a good way for them to help out.” Just then, a person who needed a break backed away and she stepped in to take the spot.
Among the participants, volunteers from nearly all walks of life, including Boy Scout Troop 873 from Forest Grove and Hillsboro took their places on the long line. “We brought 6 people,” one of the scouts reported. Fin clippers had also come from all across Oregon, some from Washington, and at least two from California.
The fish are first carefully concentrated at one end of the pond by two people in waders with a thin mesh screen. Once the fish are concentrated together, it is relatively easy to net them with long-handled fine mesh dip nets and transfer them to green tubs where they are quickly anesthetized with aquatic anesthesia. The lethargic fish are then quickly transferred to small freshwater tubs at each fin clipping station. The fin clippers need to work quickly because the fish start to revive immediately. Some wake up too soon, and the call of “Wiggler” sounds out and the little fish are quickly transported back into the green tub. Once the fin is clipped, each fish is immediately placed back into the water running down a long gutter spanning the length of the tables and then is carried back into the rearing pond by the current.
Ron Rehn, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) North Coast biologist discussed ODFW’s involvement. “I’m here more for technical support,” he said. “They (Tillamook Anglers) run this.”
“Volunteers help with the spawning at the hatchery,” Rehn explained. “Once the fish are old enough for transport, they are moved out here (Whiskey Creek Hatchery). Then the volunteers take care of them.” He reported that they initially start with 115,000 fish, there is some mortality, and the goal is to be able to release at least 100,000 fish.
“The north coast is a strong area for STEP hatcheries,” Rehn said. In addition to the volunteer-run Whiskey Creek hatchery, there is another one with the Nestucca Anglers at Rhodes Pond just outside of Hebo, and both Astoria and Warrenton high schools have hatcheries. There was the hope of establishing a new hatchery at the new Seaside high school but there wasn’t an adequate water source nearby.
The volunteers were busy clipping as fast as they could. Every once in a while, someone would need a break, and the replacements had to be quick to get the spot before someone else did. This was an amazing event to watch and is highly recommended for those who want a meaningful volunteer experience.
Once released over this coming summer, the smolt will make their way out to the ocean to grow, and then return to area streams in three years. For more information about the annual fin clipping event, other Tillamook Anglers events, or memberships, contact Tillamook Anglers at 503-842-0250.