Columbia Basin Bulletin

    COLUMBIA RIVER The 2011 Columbia River basin sockeye salmon run was late arriving but has developed into a strong and steady stream of fish that will likely be the fourth largest on a record dating back to 1980.

    The Technical Advisory Team (TAC) recently updated its forecast for the sockeye run to 181,500 adult fish to the mouth of the Columbia. Thats up from a preseason forecast of 161,900. Most of the sockeye are headed for the Wenatchee and Okanagan river basins in central Washington and/or British Columbia but a small share are native to central Idahos high country.

    The preseason forecast included an anticipated return of 2,100 of the Idaho fish Snake River sockeye that swim 900 miles up the Columbia, Snake and Salmon rivers to spawn. The Snake River sockeye are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Wenatchee and Okanogan fish, which swim up the Columbia before turning off into their home streams, are not listed.

    If the sockeye return to the mouth matches the new forecast, which seems likely, it would rank behind only last years record total of 387,858, 214,402 in 2008 and 200,724 in 1985.

    The total sockeye count at the Columbias Bonneville Dam (river mile 146) through July 18 had already reached 182,322 with the pulse dropping off to 826 after hitting 8,084 on July 6.

    TAC members estimate that the sockeye run has made its upriver return about 5-7 days later than the historic average. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlifes John North, a TAC member, said that the latest forecast could be conservative.

    Its hard to know how long this tail (of the sockeye run) will last, North said.

    TAC, which is comprised of federal, state and tribal fishery officials, also raised its forecast for upper Columbia summer Chinook salmon to 80,000 adults to the mouth of the Columbia. TAC had downgraded the summer Chinook forecast from the preseason estimate of 91,100 to 77,000 but relatively strong counts for this time in the season allowed a slight increase in the forecast.

    Chinook passing Bonneville from June 16 through July 31 are considered upper Columbia summer Chinook. The summer Chinook stock is not listed and is considered healthy. Upper Columbia summer Chinook are destined for areas above Priest Rapids Dam.

    Through July 18 99,096 adult upper Columbia summer Chinook had passed Bonneville.