Last year, thieves caused major destruction to the Granite Falls Fish Ladder in Washington, stealing hundreds of feet of copper wire and rendering the ladder inoperable, according to Fox 13 Seattle.
The ladder is a critical lifeline for Chinook salmon and steelhead, allowing them access to almost 57 miles of spawning habitat in the Upper South Fork Stillaguamish River. The vandalism — which will cost $250,000 to fix — has killed many fish, decreased the food supply for orcas, and damaged the local economy.
Both the salmon and steelhead species are key elements of the area's ecological balance and economic stability. Without the ladder, the fish runs that allow the species to travel between fresh and salt water to reproduce are difficult to sustain.
"It's incalculable to the loss of the fish that we've had because the ladder is not working," Jim Fuda with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound told Fox 13.
Commercial and recreational fisheries depend on these species and so do endangered southern resident killer whales.
The toll on the economy will affect many residents in the area, and the ecological effects could be devastating.
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Sgt. Wendy Willette with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said they're investigating the crimes alongside Crime Stoppers — and offering a monetary reward for information that leads to an arrest.
Awareness of the climate crisis begins with respect for nature. The more we understand about the natural world, the greater desire we should have to protect it. The criminals responsible displayed zero concern for the damage they were causing and the domino effect that would follow their actions.
"These thieves don't care about our ecosystem, and their actions are now hurting people's quality of life," Willette said, according to Fox 13.
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Absolutely 💯 Crew members are manually operating the gate to the ladder to help mitigate the impacts of the vandalism, but it's difficult and time-consuming work that's taking a toll on the WDFW. The state's budget crisis will also be an obstacle in getting the equipment up and running again.
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"It's catastrophic. These fish provide food sources for many animals, including the southern resident killer whales," Willette said, per Fox 13. "I'm on the hunt for the people that are responsible."
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