Thousands of trout headed for Offutt Lake lost when delivery truck overturns
A fish stocking truck overturned while en route to Offut Lake in Thurston County on Tuesday, resulting in the loss of thousands of trout.
The incident occurred at about 11:40 a.m. near the intersection of Old Highway 99 Southeast and Offut Lake Road, said Lt. Mike Brooks with the Sheriff’s Office.
The truck belongs to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which was aiming to deliver the fish in time for Black Friday. The lake stocking project was part of a yearly effort to entice people to go outdoors during the post-Thanksgiving commercial holiday.
More than 7,500 fingerling rainbow trout were lost in the incident, according to a WDFW statement.
The Sheriff’s Office and local fire crews responded to the scene, Brooks said. WDFW police learned about the incident at about noon, their statement says.
First responders treated the driver of the truck, a WDFW employee, for minor injuries, according to the statement.
Tow vehicles helped clear the scene and the trout were removed from the road. Brooks said the roadway was closed for about 3 hours.
Following the incident, WDFW says it successfully delivered 2,000 fingerling rainbow trout to Offut Lake and they have plans to replace the lost fish.
Brooks could not say what caused the truck to overturn but said no other people were involved. The WDFW statement indicates it was a one-vehicle crash.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 11:39 AM.
