The Downeast Salmon Federation was forced to kill about 170,000 young salmon last month, after a virus was discovered in a fish hatchery in East Machias.
Executive Director Dwayne Shaw said that in routine testing of the Peter Gray Hatchery, the group discovered fish infected with pancreatic necrosis, a virus that's endemic in both fresh and salt water.
Shaw said that while all the fish appeared healthy, the presence of the virus forced them to kill all 170,000 salmon and bury them, then perform a deep clean of the facility.
The Federation has never had to kill so many fish before. Shaw said it's now working to raise at least $75,000 to qualify for a federal matching grant that would help it purchase an ultraviolet water filtration system.
"So it's a way of addressing viruses and other pathogens, on the intake side for us, pulling water out of the river and bringing it through our hatchery," Shaw said.
The group raises two strains of endangered Atlantic salmon in the facility for the East Machias and Narraguagus Rivers.
