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Emergency repair work on the rock jetty south of La Conner will continue through June 9 to protect out-migrating juvenile salmon.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the project, which includes placement of thousands of cubic yards of cobble and sediment on the Skagit River side of the jetty. The repairs are designed to plug porous areas that have impacted outbound salmon this spring.

Until work is completed, fishers and recreational boaters must remain at least 300 feet from the construction area.

Only authorized access to McGlinn Island will be allowed while the jetty repair work is under way.

The April discovery of dead and injured fish by biologists evaluating long-term maintenance to the more than 80-year-old jetty necessitated immediate repairs, according to a USACOE spokesperson.

The Army Corps rep said in a statement to the media that biologists have concluded water velocity through the jetty is pushing juvenile fish into the structure, resulting in severe injury.

“Days after the initial discovery, we assembled a crisis action team to work closely with the Swinomish Tribe, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop an effective short-term solution to protect juvenile fish,” said USACOE Col. Alexander Bullock, the Seattle district commander.

“We identified appropriate funding and awarded a contract to implement the solution within weeks of the first observation of concern,” Bullock said. “This solution will minimize harm to Endangered Species Act-listed fish during the coming fish run. Protecting the viability of juvenile salmon is of paramount concern.”

Dead salmon, including ESA-listed Chinook and Chum, were discovered during an April 13 site visit by staff from these organizations. Since then hundreds of dead and stranded fish have been documented, according to a tribal statement.

The 6,000-foot McGlinn-to-Goat Island jetty, with a 20-foot gap called the “fish hole” intended for salmon escapement, was constructed following passage in 1935 of federal Rivers and Harbors Act legislation to protect navigable waters.

Concerns were expressed then that the jetty could seriously impact local salmon runs. Those have not subsided in ensuing decades.

In a statement to the Swinomish Tribal Community’s ‘qyuuqs’ publication, tribal senate chair Steve Edwards said Swinomish “is very concerned that this dilapidated jetty has caused serious harm to our treaty protected salmon populations that are the lifeblood of our culture and community.”

Edwards cited present declines of Skagit River salmon.

“Every single fish matters to our community and to future generations,” he said. “We’re glad that the Army Corps is taking these short-term emergency actions, but the truth is we don’t know the actual extent of the problem or the harm it has caused.

“We are committed,” Edwards added, “to working with the Corps to take further interim actions and to continue studying whether parts or all of this jetty should be permanently removed.”

The scope of work, scheduled seven days a week, is taking place on the jetty section closest to McGlinn Island.

The project goal is to reduce flow velocities through the jetty linked to negative effects on spring salmon runs.

Impacts to local marine vessel traffic are expected to be minor, state USACOE officials. They anticipate there may be increased frequency of transiting vessels in the Swinomish Channel, particularly in the south end closest to the construction area.