Bonneville Dam sockeye salmon run notches record

By: Mike Prager
The Spokesman-Review

The growing abundance of sockeye salmon on the Columbia River reached a new milestone this week with passage of another record run at Bonneville Dam.

It is the third record-breaking run in the past five years.

Through Wednesday, the sockeye count at Bonneville Dam stood at 539,225 fish, with the run reaching its latter stages. Record-keeping dates to 1938, when fish counts began at Bonneville.

This year’s run eclipsed the old record of 520,959 sockeye in 2012, which came after a 2010 record run of 386,525 sockeye.

Last year’s return was 186,100 sockeye.

“It’s amazing,” said Joe Hymer, a fish biologist based in Vancouver, Washington. “The run is still coming.” Read more