Plans in place to evacuate salmon if Idaho hatchery floods

High water is threatening a fish hatchery in southwestern Idaho that raises endangered Snake River sockeye salmon, and plans are in place to evacuate 4,000 fish if power gets knocked out.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman Mike Keckler on Wednesday says sandbags are in place at the Eagle Fish Hatchery near the Boise River and workers make daily patrols for leaks.

Officials say the primary fear is flood water reaching electrical pumps needed to keep oxygenated water circulating.

Keckler says hatchery trucks are available as a precaution to transport fish to a hatchery in eastern Idaho if needed.

Snake River sockeye have been the focus of an intense recovery program centered at the Eagle Fish Hatchery after being listed for federal protection in the 1990s.