STANLEY, ID – Idaho Fish and Game announced the arrival of the first sockeye salmon of the year to the Sawtooth Basin on July 23, marking another milestone in the ongoing recovery of Idaho’s endangered sockeye population.
Once teetering on the brink of extinction, Idaho’s sockeye salmon are now returning annually in growing numbers, thanks to decades of intensive conservation work. In 1991, only four adult sockeye returned to Idaho. This summer, more than 1,000 have successfully passed Lower Granite Dam—about halfway through their 900-mile, 6,250-foot climb from the Pacific Ocean.
“This return reflects years of effort to preserve the species’ genetics and boost survival,” said Fish and Game officials. “The journey is still incredibly difficult, and each fish is a reminder of what’s at stake.”
With rivers running hotter due to summer heat, biologists trucked 164 sockeye directly from the dam to the Eagle Hatchery this year to ensure enough spawners for future generations—a practice that may become more routine as conditions change.
The department’s captive broodstock program, which began in the 1990s with just 16 wild adults, has helped rebuild the population by maintaining genetic diversity and supplementing returns with hatchery-raised fish.
Though sockeye numbers remain modest compared to other Idaho salmon species, the return to Redfish Lake and other Sawtooth Basin waters continues to be a sign of progress—and hope—for the future of Idaho’s native salmon.