State wildlife managers say the number of sockeye salmon making it to central Idaho from the ocean this year is one of the worst returns in the last decade, with only 43 fish so far.
But the Idaho Department of Fish and Game says a hatchery program intended to prevent the species from going extinct allowed the release of just over 1,200 sockeye into Redfish and Pettit lakes to spawn naturally.
The agency in August also started an emergency trap-and-truck operation at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River due to overly warm rivers and captured 201 fish. The agency brought the fish to its hatchery in Eagle in southwestern Idaho where it raises adult brood stock for spawning.
The agency also brought in captive brood stock from a safety net program operated by NOAA Fisheries in Washington. In all, the agency said it had 2,750 sockeye for spawning this year. Of those, 1,112 were released into Redfish lake and 99 in Pettit Lake.
Fish and Game hopes to eventually get enough fish returning to naturally recolonize Redfish and Pettit lakes. That plan involves the Springfield Fish Hatchery in eastern Idaho that is expected to produce a million young sockeye salmon to be released next spring in central Idaho.
An estimated 150,000 sockeye at one time made the 900-mile trip from the ocean to the central Idaho lakes near the town of Stanley. Redfish Lake was named for the abundant red-colored salmon that spawned there. Federal officials say the run declined starting in the early 1900s because of overfishing, irrigation diversions, dams and poisoning. (AP)
