BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com)—Partially done research at Western Washington University (WWU) has likely led to a way to save salmon from a killer pollutant.
In 2020, scientists discovered a chemical in toxic tire dust that washes from roadways into urban salmon streams is deadly to migrating coho salmon and other fish.
They then set out to find a way to keep that dust from finding its way into those streams, and The Seattle Times reports that they may have found it.
They collected polluted water from under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge in Seattle and brought the untreated water to WWU.
There, they filtered the water through four different soil mixes, then introduced juvenile salmon to both untreated and treated water.
Most of the fish died in the untreated water, but all survived in the water that had been filtered and treated.
The most effective filters were made of coconut fiber, sand, and a charcoal-like fertilizer.
One of the mixes is being tested at a site near Bellingham, and researchers hope its use can be drastically expanded if it’s found to be safe and effective.
