Salmon Carcasses Donated

January 24, 2024

Question: When adult (returning) salmon are processed for eggs at hatcheries, what happens with the carcasses?

Answer: CDFW has an agreement to donate Chinook salmon carcasses that are fit for human consumption to the California Emergency Foodlink. That agency then works with food banks throughout California to distribute the salmon that comes from five  northern California hatcheries. Nearly 70,000 pounds of fish from the recent fall-run Chinook salmon migration were donated.

Here’s why salmon are available for those donations. Returning adult fish that swim hatchery gates and up fish ladders are anesthetized before they are spawned. Anesthesia methods used at CDFW hatcheries include carbon dioxide and electro-anesthesia, which keep these fish safe for consumption. CDFW is careful not to waste the carcasses and has been working with California Emergency Foodlink for more than 20 years.