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Stanley Could See Unexpectedly Large Run of Sockeye this Summer by Roger Phillips Idaho Statesman, July 10, 2008

A larger-than-expected run of sockeye salmon in the Columbia River is producing more fish destined for Idaho.

The Army Corps of Engineers reported 408 sockeye crossed Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River through Tuesday, which is more than 10 times the 10-year average of 40 fish. The dam is about 25 miles from Lewiston and it is the last dam they cross before reaching Idaho.

None have arrived in Stanley yet, but fish didn't arrive until mid-to-late summer in the last two years.

To reach their traditional spawning waters, Idaho sockeye must swim upstream through eight dams and reservoirs in the Columbia and Snake systems, then all the way to the Salmon River's headwaters, a trip of 900 miles and 6,500 vertical feet.

More than 208,000 sockeye have crossed Bonneville Dam on the Lower Columbia, and they continue to cross at more than 1,000 fish per day.

The vast majority of those fish are headed to Okanogan and Wenatchee lakes in Washington.