Idaho Fish and Game saw this year’s sockeye return hit a record number—which is good news—but with an asterisk. Through Aug. 19, 2,835 fish were counted at Lower Granite Dam about 30 miles downstream from Lewiston; most of those fish probably won't return to Idaho. That’s the highest sockeye return since fish counting started at the dam in 1975, topping the previous record of 2,786 fish in 2014.
“There’s a huge return of Columbia River sockeye. And in the past, some of those fish have strayed into the Snake River and crossed Lower Granite Dam,” said Eric Johnson, Idaho Fish and Game Senior Fisheries Research Biologist.
About 750,000 sockeye crossed Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River this summer, and nearly all were bound for the upper Columbia. Large sockeye returns typically mean more strays, and Johnson noted even half a percent straying into the Snake River could result in 3,000 to 4,000 fish crossing Lower Granite Dam. Fish and Game sockeye managers have never seen a Columbia River stray make it all the way to the Sawtooth Basin.