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Columbia River Sockeye Counts Rising by Mark Yuasa The Seattle Times, June 17, 2009

The Columbia River sockeye salmon are migrating into the mighty river, and while some fish are being caught in the lower sections, many are waiting to see if Lake Wenatchee will open later this summer.

"The sockeye run is tracking slightly below last year, and the forecast [183,200 this year] is slightly below what actually returned last year [214,500]," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist in Vancouver.

So far, 21,748 have returned up Bonneville Dam this year compared to 30,223 last year, and the 10-year average is 10,732.

On June 14, the single day count at Bonneville was 3,283 sockeye; and June 15 it climbed to 4,017; and by June 15 it had soared to 5,440.

"The peak of the run is in the next couple of weeks at Bonneville," Hymer said.