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First Sockeye of 2018 Arrives at Stanley by Staff Twin Times-News, August 2, 2018

STANLEY -- The first sockeye salmon of 2018 returned July 26 to the Redfish Lake Creek trap near Stanley. Last year, the first sockeye arrived on July 27.

The fish is among the 233 sockeye to cross Lower Granite Dam near Lewiston -- the last dam the fish cross before reaching Idaho.

Last year's total of 228 fish was the lowest return in a decade. Since 2008, sockeye returns over Lower Granite have averaged 1,115 fish with a range of 228 to a high of 2,786 in 2014.

Idaho sockeye must complete a 900-mile migration from the Pacific Ocean that includes crossing eight dams and climbing 6,500 feet to reach the Sawtooth Basin.

While recent sockeye runs are small compared with other salmon runs, they're a vast improvement over previous decades. Between 1996 and 2007, annual sockeye returns over Lower Granite Dam averaged 52 fish.

When Idaho sockeye were listed in 1991 under the federal Endangered Species Act, only four adult sockeye returned to the Stanley Basin.

The combined annual returns from 1991 through 1999 were 23 fish, including two years when no sockeye returned to Idaho.

Related Pages
Count the Fish by Government Accounting Office, Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Efforts
Dam Operations Adjusted to Help Struggling Snake River Sockeye by K.C. Mehaffey, NW Fishletter, 7/20/18
River Managers Test Lower Monumental Spill Change to Stimulate Sockeye Passage by Staff, Columbia Basin Bulletin, 7/20/18
With Temps Rising, Corps Cools Snake River with Dworshak Water to Aid Endangered Sockeye by Staff, Columbia Basin Bulletin, 7/13/18