Iroo issues cause delays at new Fairbanks hatchery

摘要

First arrivals of fish or eggs at the new Ruth Burnett Sports Fish Hatchery being constructed by the state in Fairbanks, Alaska, have been delayed by what is being described as "a glitch" with the intake water filtration system. Jeff Milton, Sport Fish Hatchery Program supervisor for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, has been overseeing hatchery development programs in both Fairbanks and Anchorage for about the last three years. He said that a potential problem was recognized with iron levels in the Ruth Burnett Sports Fish Hatchery in Fairbanks from the beginning. The salmonids to be produced can have health issues with the gills if the iron level is above 0.1 mg/litre, and the intake water in Fairbanks was known to be high in iron. So pilotsystems were tested in the area for some three years, he said. That included the use of manganese dioxide in a sand-bed-type filtration system, Milton said; and the pilot trial showed consistent and satisfactory results, with the iron removed to below the 0.1 mg/1 threshold level.