Fish and Game officials reported that 85 sockeye have returned to the Sawtooth Basin near Stanley, compared with 56 last year. There's still about six weeks to go for this year's sockeye run.
River temperatures became lethal by mid summer last year, so fisheries managers trapped 35 sockeye at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River to supplement the 56 that made the full migration to Stanley, which shouldn't be necessary this year. Rivers that sockeye pass through on their way upstream to Idaho are cooler than last year in most areas, which has helped the fishes' progress.
Through Aug. 3, 788 sockeye have passed through Lower Granite Dam, which is the last dam the fish cross before reaching Idaho. From there, they still have about 470 miles to swim before reaching the Sawtooth Basin.
Fisheries managers expect to see sockeye returning until early October, although 90 percent of the run typically arrives in the Sawtooth Basin by September 10.
The sockeye return to the Sawtooth Basin has averaged 760 fish between 2008 and 2015.