Biologists Find Salmon In River

Biologists conducting an aerial survey for signs of fall chinook salmon spawning in the Snake River below Hells Canyon Dam found a record 71 redds through early December.

Idaho Power Co. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service credited more fish, good weather and clear water for the record aerial count of redds, or aquatic nesting sites, for the endangered salmon.

Last year biologists located just 41 redds from the air during the same October-through-early December period.

A team of Idaho Power and the Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have conducted aerial and ground surveys for fall chinook since 1991. They added underwater video equipment to their arsenal in 1993, giving them the ability to find redds in more than nine feet of water.

Using the underwater video equipment, the team discovered an additional 26 redds this year.

Concerns about the condition of the wild fall chinook salmon population in the Snake River prompted Idaho Power to change the way it operates its Hells Canyon hydroelectric complex to ensure river flows were consistent through the critical spawning period.

As a result, the utility maintains consistent outflows from Hells Canyon Dam to protect the redds until the salmon eggs have hatched and the fry have started their downstream migration.