Oil spill on Washington State highway causes massive fish kill

In July 2025, a tanker truck rollover on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, USA, spilled some 10,590 liters of gasoline into Indian Creek, killing at least 2,130 fish, including thousands of salmon fry. The spill rippled through newly restored salmon habitat (a tributary of the Elwha River), which the governor called a “heartbreaking” ecological setback. Although authorities emphasized that there was no impact on the marine environment, the incident exposed the shortcomings of emergency response to pollution in inland waters, especially the threat to endangered salmon populations.