typhlonectes:

Silvery coho salmon are as much a part of Washington state as its flag. The fish has a sacred place
in the diets and rituals of the state’s indigenous peoples, beckons to
tourists who flock to watch its migration runs, and helps to sustain a
multimillion-dollar Pacific Northwest fishing industry.

So
watching the species die in agony is distressing: Adult coho have been
seen thrashing in shallow fresh waters, males appear disoriented as they
swim, and females are often rolled on their backs, their insides
still plump with tiny red eggs that will never hatch.

“Coho
have not done well where a lot of human activity impacts their
habitat,” said Nat Scholz, a research zoologist for the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. That’s to say the least.

A recent study traced
a major coho salmon die-off to contaminants from roads and automobiles —
brake dust, oil, fuel, chemical fluids — that hitch a ride on storm
water and flow into watersheds. The contaminants are so deadly, they
kill the salmon within 24 hours…

A huge salmon die-off is happening — and our cars might be responsible