MCDOWELL COUNTY, N.C. -- Authorities are investigating after they say someone tampered with a local hatchery over the weekend, killing more than 100,000 rainbow trout.
It happened Saturday evening, the opening day of trout season, at the Armstrong Creek Hatchery.
Hatchery superintendent Mike Anderson says a coworker noticed fish in the raceways were in distress and quickly discovered the water flow was shut off. He found a valve controlling the Armstrong Creek Dam was fully cranked. That valved opened the dam, enabling all the water to flow downstream instead of into the hatchery.
Anderson says the 30 minutes without the creek inflow killed 150,000 rainbow trout, which is more than a third of the hatchery population.
The fish were earmarked for rivers in 12 counties in Western North Carolina. Now, Anderson says, other hatcheries will donate some of their trout to fill Armstrong Hatchery's rivers, meaning fewer and smaller trout overall for this season.
He worries about how the shortage will affect the economy of nearby small towns dependent on trout fishing.
McDowell County Sheriff's deputies are investigating.
"It's going to be a felony charge," Det. Grindstaff with the McDowell County Sheriff's Office said. "I haven't met with the district attorney's office yet to determine what charge is going to be pursued."
by Karen Wynne
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