Video Shows Salmon With Lesions, Fungus As Rivers Hit Lethal Temperatures

“I’m hopeful this tragedy will inspire our elected leaders to take action to restore our rivers before it is too late.”

A disturbing new video is highlighting the devastating effect of recent heat waves on Pacific Northwest salmon, which are suffering from lesions and fungus due to rising water temperatures, according to a nonprofit organization working to protect the waterways. The underwater video shared by Columbia Riverkeeper on Tuesday shows multiple sockeye salmon with large welts and open sores swimming in Washington state’s Little White Salmon River near the Columbia River Gorge on July 16. “Sockeye are dying right now because the Columbia and Snake rivers are too hot,” Brett VandenHeuvel, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement that blamed thermal stress for the condition of the fish. “I’m hopeful this tragedy will inspire our elected leaders to take action to restore our rivers before it is too late.”