Two Dozen Salmon Clear Last Dam

If the identification is correct, 24 Snake River sockeye salmon have made it over the last major hurdle in the 700-mile journey from the Pacific Ocean to central Idaho spawning grounds.

It’s the largest number of sockeye passing over Lower Granite Dam in more than a decade. No sockeye returned to Redfish Lake near Stanley last year.

“We expected some sockeye to return this year because of the captive rearing program, but it will be incredible if more than a few fish arrive at Redfish Lake,” said Wendy Wilson, Idaho Rivers United executive director.

The origins of the fish won’t be clear until they are trapped in a weir on Redfish Lake Creek and taken to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery for identification and genetic analysis.

They could be fish raised in captivity before being released into the Salmon River in 1995 or the offspring of adult sockeye released into Redfish Lake to spawn in 1993.

In August 1993, the Fish and Game Department released 24 hatchery-reared adult sockeye into Redfish Lake Those fish could reach the weir this week.

Tens of thousands of sockeye salmon used to return to Redfish Lake every fall, giving the lake its name. The sockeye population dwindled after four dams were built on the Lower Snake River in the 1960s and 1970s. Snake River sockeye were listed as an endangered species in 1991.