Sockeye salmon
Encyclopedia
Sockeye salmon also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species
of salmon
found in the Northern Pacific Ocean
and rivers discharging into it. There are also completely landlocked populations of the same species, which are known as kokanee or "silver trout." Sockeye salmon is the third most common Pacific salmon species, after pink
and chum salmon
. The name "sockeye" is an anglicization of suk-kegh , its name in Halkomelem, the language of the indigenous people along the lower reaches of the Fraser River
(one of British Columbia's many native Coast Salish languages). Suk-kegh means red fish.
and many others there are two kinds of kokanee populations - one spawns in streams and one spawns in the lake near the shore. As an aside, the Kokanee Glacier gets its name from Kokanee Creek, which enters Kootenay Lake
near Nelson, British Columbia
(see Kokanee
).
The black kokanee, or "kunimasu" in Japanese, was deemed to be extinct after 1940, when a hydroelectric project made its native lake in northern Akita Prefecture
more acidic. An attempt to save the species by transferring 100,000 eggs to Saiko Lake, 500 kilometers to the south, was thought to have failed. Tetsuji Nakabo, a professor at Kyoto University
, announced in December 2010 that a team of researchers have discovered a population of the kunimasu in Saiko Lake.
in the eastern Pacific (though individuals have been spotted as far south as the 10 Mile River on the Mendocino
Coast of California
) and northern Hokkaidō Island
in Japan
in the western Pacific, and as far north as Bathurst Inlet
in the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr River
in Siberia
in the west. Landlocked populations occur in the Yukon
Territory and British Columbia
in Canada
, and in Alaska
, Washington, Oregon
, California
, New York
, Utah
, Idaho
, Montana
, Nevada
, Colorado
, New Mexico
, and Wyoming
in the United States
.
Nantahala Lake
is the only spot in North Carolina
where kokanee salmon are found. The fish, which is native to the western United States, was stocked in Nantahala Lake in the mid-1960s by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish for other predator fishes in the lake. This stock has remained and become a favorite target for anglers.
Sockeye spawn mostly in streams having lake
s in their watershed. The young fish, known as fry, spend up to three years in the freshwater lake before migrating to the ocean. Some stay in the lake and do not migrate. Migratory fish spend from one to four years in salt water, and thus are four to six years old when they return to spawn one summer (July–August). Navigation to the home river is thought to be done using the characteristic smell of the stream, and possibly the sun.
Some fish spend as long as four years in fresh water lakes before migrating. In rivers without lakes, many of the young move to the ocean soon after hatching. These salmon mature after one to four years in the ocean.
during both freshwater and saltwater life stages. Their many gill
rakers strain the plankton from the water. This diet may be the reason for the striking hue of their flesh, as well as their very low concentration of methylmercury
. They also tend to feed on small aquatic organisms such as shrimp
.
They also eat insects when they are at the juvenile stage.
s for fresh or frozen filet sales and canning
, especially in Bristol Bay
, Alaska
, site of the largest harvest, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
. Canners prefer it due to its rich orange-red flesh. More than half of the catch is sold frozen.
Smoked Sockeye has a stronger flavor and firmer texture than Coho salmon
.
by the National Marine Fisheries Service
as an endangered species in the Snake River
(Idaho
, Oregon
and Washington area) and as a threatened species in Lake Ozette
, Washington. Other sockeye populations in the upper Columbia River
and in Puget Sound
(Washington) are not listed under the Act.
The return abundance (population) of Fraser River
sockeye in 2009 was estimated at a very low 1,370,000,
13% of the pre-season forecast of 10,488,000.
That represented a decline from the recent (1993) historical cycle peak of 23,631,000
and the return abundance was the lowest in over 50 years. The reasons for this (former) decline remain speculative. According to a “Think Tank” of scientists assembled to review the problem, there is no evidence that this decline was due to overfishing.
The evidence indicated this reduced productivity occurred after the juvenile fish
began their migration to the ocean. Perhaps ironically, prior to the incredible abundance of the 2010 Fraser River run, Canada had begun a formal inquiry into the decline.
The decline that had dismayed fishermen and biologists may have been connected to open-water fish farms
located throughout the waters around the Campbell River
, the Broughton Archipelago
, and elsewhere, given that young salmon must swim through these areas journeying to the open ocean.
The fry
may become infected with sea lice
from the farms, killing many of them.
Astonishingly, the number of Sockeye returning to British Columbia was around 30 million in 2010, the largest sockeye run in 97 years, in bizarre contrast to the unexpectedly low run in 2009.
The abundance of Sockeye stocks in 2010 are estimated to be over 260% higher than the predicted 11.4 million salmon.
The Sockeye populations of the last two years do not follow the general trend of gradual decline exhibited over the past century, and these unpredictable runs are speculated to be due to fluctuating water temperatures.
Sockeye is an exception to 2010's forecast resurgence of Oregonian fish stocks. Spring Chinook
, Summer Steelhead, and Coho
are forecast to increase by up to 100% over 2008 populations. The sockeye population peaked at over 200,000 in 2008 and were forecast to decline to just over 100,000 in 2010. As an early indication of the unexpectedly high Sockeye run in 2010, on July 2, 2010, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
reported that over 300,000 Sockeye had passed over Bonneville dam on the Columbia river. Lower temperatures in 2008 North Pacific waters brought in fatter plankton which, along with greater outflows of Columbia River water, feeding the resurgent populations.
Proposed legislative efforts such as the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act
are attempting to protect the headwaters of the sockeye salmon by preventing industrial development in roadless areas.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
found in the Northern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and rivers discharging into it. There are also completely landlocked populations of the same species, which are known as kokanee or "silver trout." Sockeye salmon is the third most common Pacific salmon species, after pink
Pink salmon
Pink salmon or humpback salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon.- Appearance :...
and chum salmon
Chum salmon
The chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is a Pacific salmon, and may also be known as dog salmon or Keta salmon, and is often marketed under the name Silverbrite salmon...
. The name "sockeye" is an anglicization of suk-kegh , its name in Halkomelem, the language of the indigenous people along the lower reaches of the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
(one of British Columbia's many native Coast Salish languages). Suk-kegh means red fish.
Kokanee
Some sockeye live and reproduce in lakes and are called "kokanee", a word in the Okanagan language for this kind of fish. They are much smaller than the ones that go to the ocean and are rarely over 350 millimetres (13.8 in) long. In Okanagan LakeOkanagan Lake
Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The lake is 135 km long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 351 km². The lake's maximum depth is 232 meters near Grant Island...
and many others there are two kinds of kokanee populations - one spawns in streams and one spawns in the lake near the shore. As an aside, the Kokanee Glacier gets its name from Kokanee Creek, which enters Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of theKootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water...
near Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson, British Columbia
Nelson is a city located in the Selkirk Mountains on the extreme West Arm of Kootenay Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Known as "The Queen City", and acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush,...
(see Kokanee
Kokanee
Kokanee is a word from the Okanagan language referring to land-locked lake populations of Sockeye salmon . It may also refer to:* Kokanee Range, a subrange of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada...
).
The black kokanee, or "kunimasu" in Japanese, was deemed to be extinct after 1940, when a hydroelectric project made its native lake in northern Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
more acidic. An attempt to save the species by transferring 100,000 eggs to Saiko Lake, 500 kilometers to the south, was thought to have failed. Tetsuji Nakabo, a professor at Kyoto University
Kyoto University
, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
, announced in December 2010 that a team of researchers have discovered a population of the kunimasu in Saiko Lake.
Range and habitat
Sockeye salmon ranges as far south as the Columbia RiverColumbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
in the eastern Pacific (though individuals have been spotted as far south as the 10 Mile River on the Mendocino
Mendocino
Mendocino may mean:* Mendocino County, California, USA* Mendocino, California, a town in Mendocino County* Cape Mendocino in Humboldt County, California* Mendocino Brewing Company, a brewery and brewpub located in the county of the same name...
Coast of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) and northern Hokkaidō Island
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the western Pacific, and as far north as Bathurst Inlet
Bathurst Inlet
Bathurst Inlet is a deep inlet located along the northern coast of the Canadian mainland, into which the Burnside and Western Rivers empty. The name, or its native equivalent Kingoak , is also used to identify the community of Bathurst Inlet located on the shore.-Plans for a deep-water port:A...
in the Canadian Arctic in the east and the Anadyr River
Anadyr River
Anadyr is a river in the far northeast Siberia which flows into Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Its basin corresponds to the Anadyrsky District of Chukotka....
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
in the west. Landlocked populations occur in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
Territory and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Washington, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Nantahala Lake
Nantahala Lake
Nantahala Lake is located in Macon County, North Carolina in the western part of the state. The lake is regulated and maintained by Duke Power and is a major source of hydroelectric power to the region. Nantahala is located at 3,000 feet in the Nantahala National Forest. The lake was created in...
is the only spot in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where kokanee salmon are found. The fish, which is native to the western United States, was stocked in Nantahala Lake in the mid-1960s by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish for other predator fishes in the lake. This stock has remained and become a favorite target for anglers.
Reproduction
Sockeye are blue tinged with silver in color while living in the ocean. .Sockeye spawn mostly in streams having lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s in their watershed. The young fish, known as fry, spend up to three years in the freshwater lake before migrating to the ocean. Some stay in the lake and do not migrate. Migratory fish spend from one to four years in salt water, and thus are four to six years old when they return to spawn one summer (July–August). Navigation to the home river is thought to be done using the characteristic smell of the stream, and possibly the sun.
Some fish spend as long as four years in fresh water lakes before migrating. In rivers without lakes, many of the young move to the ocean soon after hatching. These salmon mature after one to four years in the ocean.
Diet
Sockeye salmon, unlike other species of Pacific Salmon, feed extensively on zooplanktonZooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
during both freshwater and saltwater life stages. Their many gill
Gill
A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...
rakers strain the plankton from the water. This diet may be the reason for the striking hue of their flesh, as well as their very low concentration of methylmercury
Methylmercury
Methylmercury is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is a bioaccumulative environmental toxicant.-Structure:...
. They also tend to feed on small aquatic organisms such as shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
.
They also eat insects when they are at the juvenile stage.
Commerce
Commercial fishermen net this species using seines and gillnetGillnet
Gillnetting is a common fishing method used by commercial and artisanal fishermen of all the oceans and in some freshwater and estuary areas. The gillnet also is used by fisheries scientists to monitor fish populations. Because gillnets can be so effective their use is closely monitored and...
s for fresh or frozen filet sales and canning
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
, especially in Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, site of the largest harvest, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of Alaska. The Department of Fish and Game manages Alaska's fish, game, and aquatic plant resources.-History:...
. Canners prefer it due to its rich orange-red flesh. More than half of the catch is sold frozen.
Smoked Sockeye has a stronger flavor and firmer texture than Coho salmon
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
.
Conservation status
US Sockeye salmon populations are currently listed under the U.S. Endangered Species ActEndangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
by the National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
as an endangered species in the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
(Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Washington area) and as a threatened species in Lake Ozette
Lake Ozette
Ozette Lake is the largest unaltered natural lake in Washington state at 29.5 km² .The Makah name for Lake Ozette was Kahouk meaning "large lake." Eight miles long and three miles wide, Ozette Lake is contained within the northern boundary of the Olympic National Park's coastal strip...
, Washington. Other sockeye populations in the upper Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
and in Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
(Washington) are not listed under the Act.
The return abundance (population) of Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
sockeye in 2009 was estimated at a very low 1,370,000,
13% of the pre-season forecast of 10,488,000.
That represented a decline from the recent (1993) historical cycle peak of 23,631,000
and the return abundance was the lowest in over 50 years. The reasons for this (former) decline remain speculative. According to a “Think Tank” of scientists assembled to review the problem, there is no evidence that this decline was due to overfishing.
The evidence indicated this reduced productivity occurred after the juvenile fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
began their migration to the ocean. Perhaps ironically, prior to the incredible abundance of the 2010 Fraser River run, Canada had begun a formal inquiry into the decline.
The decline that had dismayed fishermen and biologists may have been connected to open-water fish farms
Fish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
located throughout the waters around the Campbell River
Campbell River (Vancouver Island)
The Campbell River is a river on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, draining into Discovery Passage at the northwest end of the Strait of Georgia, at the City of Campbell River, which is named for the river. The Kwak'wala name for the river, or for the village near its mouth The Campbell...
, the Broughton Archipelago
Broughton Archipelago
The Broughton Archipelago is a group of islands on the northeastern flank of the Queen Charlotte Strait on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The largest islands in the group, which includes numerous smaller islets, are Broughton Island, North Broughton Island, Eden Island, Bonwick Island and...
, and elsewhere, given that young salmon must swim through these areas journeying to the open ocean.
The fry
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
may become infected with sea lice
Sea lice
The sea louse is a copepod within the order Siphonostomatoida, family Caligidae. There are 36 genera within this family which include approximately 42 Lepeophtheirus and 300 Caligus species...
from the farms, killing many of them.
Astonishingly, the number of Sockeye returning to British Columbia was around 30 million in 2010, the largest sockeye run in 97 years, in bizarre contrast to the unexpectedly low run in 2009.
The abundance of Sockeye stocks in 2010 are estimated to be over 260% higher than the predicted 11.4 million salmon.
The Sockeye populations of the last two years do not follow the general trend of gradual decline exhibited over the past century, and these unpredictable runs are speculated to be due to fluctuating water temperatures.
Sockeye is an exception to 2010's forecast resurgence of Oregonian fish stocks. Spring Chinook
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
, Summer Steelhead, and Coho
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
are forecast to increase by up to 100% over 2008 populations. The sockeye population peaked at over 200,000 in 2008 and were forecast to decline to just over 100,000 in 2010. As an early indication of the unexpectedly high Sockeye run in 2010, on July 2, 2010, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
reported that over 300,000 Sockeye had passed over Bonneville dam on the Columbia river. Lower temperatures in 2008 North Pacific waters brought in fatter plankton which, along with greater outflows of Columbia River water, feeding the resurgent populations.
Proposed legislative efforts such as the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act
Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act
The Northern Rocky Mountains ecosystem in the United States is known by ecologists, biologists, and naturalists as one of the last areas of the contiguous United States that is relatively undeveloped enough and large enough to support a functioning ecosystem...
are attempting to protect the headwaters of the sockeye salmon by preventing industrial development in roadless areas.
Technical reports
- Bristol Bay sockeye salmon inriver test fishing, 2004 / by Frederick W. West. Hosted by the Alaska State Publications Program.
- Hetta and Eek Lakes subsistence sockeye salmon project : 2004 annual report / by Jan M. Conitz ... et al.. Hosted by Alaska State Publications Program.
External links
- NOAA Fisheries sockeye salmon web page
- FishBase entry for Oncorhynchus nerka
- Animal Diversity Web entry for Oncorhynchus nerka
- Species Profile
- National Geographic Sockeye salmon
- Watershed Watch Salmon Society A British Columbia advocacy group for wild salmon
- Salmon/Steelhead page of the USDA Forest Service, Pacific-Northwest Fisheries Program.