Man accused of killing 18,000 Chinook salmon after pouring bleach into Oregon fish hatchery tank
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Nearly 18,000 young Chinook salmon are dead after a man poured bleach into a fish hatchery in Douglas County, officials said.
Joshua Heckathorn, 20, of Gardiner is accused of attempting to poach and then killing the fish at a tank in Reedsport, Ore. on Monday.
A patrol deputy claimed to see Heckathorn walking south along Highway 101 before seeing him again behind a locked gate in the hatchery facility that evening.
Authorities said Heckathorn trespassed on the property, entered the storage area, and tried to take the 17,890 salmon before reaching for the bottle of chemicals. He later admitted to using the bleach.
Deborah Yates, the president of the hatchery program, said her team struggles to understand Heckathorn’s actions after they put hundreds of hours raising the fish, which were intended to be released with about 60,000 others in June.
“When nature does something, it’s crushing. But it’s nature, and it happens. But when someone comes in and does something like this, you can’t wrap your head around it,” she said. “We have so many hours wrapped up in those fish, to have someone come in so cavalier, and kill them, it doesn’t make sense.”
Sergeant Levi Harris has served 25 years as a game warden and called it “one of the most senseless acts I have seen.”
Heckathorn was first arrested on charges of second-degree burglary, criminal trespassing, and criminal mischief. He now faces additional charges for unlawfully taking Chinook salmon, a felony, and making a toxic substance available to wildlife, a misdemeanor.
“The maximum civil penalty in Oregon for illegal take of a single Chinook salmon is $750,” Sgt. Harris said. “Courts have the authority to multiply that amount by the number of fish taken, with a judgment in this case potentially raising the amount to over $13 million.”
He could also face additional penalties like damage lawsuits or a lifetime angling license suspension.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.