Salmon Smolts Released into Long Awaited King Pond

Salmon Smolts Released into Long Awaited King Pond

By Pat Lynn
For The Star

VALDEZ – The King salmon have arrived. That is to say, the King salmon smolts, 160,000 strong.

The smolts were dumped into the man-made King salmon pond at Old Town Wednesday afternoon after a trip by tanker truck from the state hatchery at the Fort Richardson army base.

So ends a decade-long struggle on the part of the City of Valdez to find a permanent home for the annual release of the salmon smolts.

The smolts will remain in their "imprint" waters for five days before the nets are opened and they are released into ocean waters where they will feed and fatten up.

In three to five years, the mature salmon will return to their imprint waters in the pond and create a huge non-commercial fishery for shore side anglers, particularly children and visitors.

The release of the smolts into their holding net marked a milestone for the city, particularly Lisa Von Bargen, the director of community development.

For a decade and more, the city has been looking for an appropriate release site. The smolts have been dumped at Anderson Bay, the Solomon Gulch hatchery, Six Mile Creek, the Small Boat Harbor, the Glacier Stream and other locales. None was appropriate and none created the expected return fishery.

Four years ago, Ms. Von Bargen seized upon the Old Town site and the idea of building a pit on the cobble beach where the Old Town swimming hole used to be. Sounded like a good idea.

Not so fast, declared the state and federal governments. Before any dig began, no fewer than five government agencies stepped in, demanding a permit for this, a permit for that, a public hearing, a comment period and the like. Even an archeologist was summoned to do some discovery digs to make sure the city was not disturbing a site of significance and, perhaps, destroying some antiquities. But nothing of value was found.

Even the Valdez city council, which deals in permits, hearings, comment periods and such, became frustrated.

At one point, Council Member Bob Leisy threatened to round up some of his friends with heavy equipment and declared, "I'll dig the damn pit myself."

On Wednesday of last week, four years after the site was pinpointed, the tanker truck arrived with 160,000 smolts on board. Ms.Von Bargen, equipped with a smile, was on hand as the tanker truck pulled in.

"I think it's fantastic," she declared. "I can't wait for the fish to return."

She commended the Valdez Fisheries Development Association for setting up the holding pen, feeding the smolts and releasing the tiny fish from the tanker. "What a great partner," she exclaimed.

Then three men from the Solomon Gulch hatchery, Dustin Wagner, Matt Britt and Rich Corcoran hauled out a hose and released the King salmon smolts into the pond. It marked a happy ending for the long King salmon saga.