PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is searching for suspects who illegally harvested and dumped nearly two dozen fish near the Washougal River in early September.
WDFW said the incident occurred sometime before Sept. 5, when their officers received a report of the dumped fish.
On the scene, WDFW police found three filleted sturgeon on cement and nearly two dozen tule Chinook salmon carcasses in nearby blackberry bushes with all but two of the fish filleted.
Officials found a dozen black plastic bags filled with yard debris just downstream of the pile of fish along with a tire but found no evidence pointing to any suspects who may have dumped the fish. Officers said it is unclear where the fish may have been harvested.
“We would like to thank those that reported the incident to us,” said WDFW Captain Jeff Wickersham. “We rely on tips from the public since they are often the eyes and the ears in the outdoors. We are hopeful that someone will come forward with information on how these fish ended up on the side of the road.”