Idaho's first sockeye of the year arrived in late July, and what was once doubtful is now tradition
Over the last decade the annual Idaho sockeye return has averaged 221, which ranged from a low of 17 to a high of 774.
Idaho Fish and Game
On July 23, the first sockeye salmon of the year swam into a fish trap in the Sawtooth Basin near Stanley. Over the last decade, the first sockeye’s arrival has become predictable in late July or early August, but what’s now routine was doubtful nearly 35 years ago when the remnants of Idaho’s sockeye were swimming toward extinction.
Over a thousand sockeye this summer have migrated past Lower Granite Dam, which is about 40 miles downstream from Lewiston, and about midway through their migration. These fish are heading toward the Sawtooth Basin, which is a huge increase from 1991 when Idaho sockeye were listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Only four adult sockeye returned to the Sawtooth Basin that year, and only 23 fish total returned between 1991 and 1999, which included two years when none returned.
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