Running of the Sockeye
In feel-good news regarding our namesake, Sockeye salmon numbers are increasing sharply from some recent lows. Check it out:
Sockeye streaming up Columbia at record pace
Count of 353,000 and growing tops 1947 mark
By Allen Thomas
Columbian staff writer
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Sockeye salmon have returned to the Columbia River in record numbers this summer, more than tripling the forecast of state and tribal biologists.
The count through Tuesday at Bonneville Dam was more than 353,000 sockeye. The old record — a combination of the Bonneville count and lower Columbia commercial catch — was 335,300 in 1947.
The final tally could be 375,000 or more.
Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said it is too early to say why the sockeye return is a record high.
The sockeye are headed for the Wenatchee and Okanogan rivers, with a tiny percentage of the salmon headed for the upper Snake River.
The vast majority of this year’s record return is destined for the Okanogan, she said.
“There’s something good going on in the Okanogan to help these fish,’’ LeFleur said.
Sockeye are the smallest of Columbia River salmon, averaging 3 to 5 pounds, but are considered as excellent a table treat as spring chinook. Kokanee, a popular sport species, are landlocked sockeye.
Sockeye are caught incidentally by sportsmen fishing for salmon and steelhead, but do not bite well.
An estimated 135 sockeye have been kept and 1,025 released from 36,954 angler trips for chinook and steelhead between June 16 and Monday. Sockeye did not become legal for sportsmen to keep until June 26.
Under the 2008-2017 Columbia River management agreement, non-Indian harvest of sockeye is limited to 1 percent of the run. The treaty tribes are allowed a 7 percent or higher harvest rate at runs this large.
Washington and Oregon have not scheduled a commercial fishery for sockeye in the lower Columbia River. The net fleet has caught its allocation of summer chinook, and would exceed its chinook share while fishing for sockeye.
State, tribal and federal biologists initially predicted a run of 125,000 sockeye to the Columbia River. More than 200,000 sockeye were counted between June 20 and 27 alone.
Ready to learn more? Sockeye salmon are well-known for their strikingly red flesh and high protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids content. Other interesting facts about Sockeye include: they are anadromous Pacific fish, change colors during migration, are endangered in some areas, and surprisingly, they LOVE coffee.