Thousands of Live Salmon Spill From Tanker in Rollover Crash (Photos)

Tens of thousands of live salmon spilled out of a tanker truck that crashed while transporting the fish in northeast Oregon on March 29, according to wildlife officials.

The accident occurred on a sharp corner with the 53-foot truck rolling onto the passenger side, skidding along the road, and then going over a rocky embankment causing it to roll onto its roof, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) said.

The driver sustained minor injuries.

The truck was carrying 102,000 spring Chinook smolts, or young salmon, for release in the Imnaha River, ODFW said.

“About 77,000 smolts made it into the creek when the tanker overturned but 25,529 smolts died and their carcasses were recovered either in the tanker or on the streambank,” the agency said. Credit: USFWS/ODFW via Storyful

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