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IDFG Trapping Sockeye at Lower Granite Dam to Protect Population as Heat Waves Continue by Richard Rodriguez KTVB, July 19, 2024

While temperatures are steadily in the triple-digits, the Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game
is trapping sockeye in response to protect future generations.

BOISE, Idaho -- Triple-digit temperatures have been felt by Idahoans in the Gem State, but they aren't the only ones feeling the effects. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), reported they're trapping sockeye salmon to protect future generations.

IDFG officials said on Friday they are trapping sockeye from the Lower Granite Dam near Lewiston and transporting the animals by truck to the Eagle Hatchery near Boise. The department said the warming water in the Upper Salmon River is potentially deadly, and moving the endangered animal will preserve the fish for spawning.

"We prefer to let these fish return naturally, but we have to balance that with knowing they're heading toward a heat wave, so we decided to safely reroute some of them to Eagle to ensure we have fish to produce the next generation," said Lance Hebdon, chief of Idaho Fish and Game's Fisheries Bureau, in a news release. "We are only trucking a portion of the fish, so we still expect some will make their full migration."

Since Thursday, July 18, IDFG staff have moved 142 sockeyes from the dam. IDFG reports in mid-July, more than 925 sockeyes made it to the Lower Granite Dam after traveling 900 miles.

"Sockeye returns at Lower Granite typically peak in mid-July, and fish will continue to return throughout summer. The run is already the seventh-highest return to Lower Granite since fishing counting began there in 1975, and more fish are due to arrive," IDFG said in a news release.

However, the journey doesn't end there, as the fish need to travel another 400 miles to reach the Sawtooth Basin. Officials said the first fish typically arrives in the third week of July.

Related Pages:
Federal Regulators to Limit Hot Water in Snake, Columbia Rivers by Courtney Flatt, NW News Network, 10/1/21
Record Sockeye Salmon Run on Columbia Now Threatened by Hot Water by Lynda Mapes, Seattle Times, 7/11/24
Salmon Face Deadly Hot Waters Along Columbia and Snake Rivers as the Call for Dam Removal Grows by Samantha Wohlfeil, Pacific Northwest Inlander, 9/2/21
Underwater Video Shows Heat-Stressed Salmon, But It Could Have Been Worse by Courtney Flatt, Oregon Public Broadcasting, 7/28/21
Report: Washington Salmon are in Hot Water by Aaron Kunkler, Snoqualmie Valley Record, 2/1/21
Research: Sockeye are in Hot Water by Eric Barker, Lewiston Tribune, 10/2/20
Salmon Struggle to Beat Heat in Columbia River Basin by Eric Tegethoff, Washington News Service, 9/10/20
Snake River Dams in Hot Water by VandenHeuvel & Julius, Seattle Times, 6/29/20
Scientists Assert Only Breaching Can Cool Northwest Waterways by Eric Barker, Post Register, 10/23/19
Washington State to Regulate Federal Dams on Columbia, Snake to Cool Hot Water, Aid Salmon by Lynda V. Mapes, Seattle Times, 1/31/19
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Rising River Temperatures Put Endangered Salmon in Hot Water by Kevin Taylor, Aljazeera America, 8/25/15
Boiling Point: Hot Water Killing 50% of Columbia River's Salmon Population by Staff, Reuters, 7/31/15
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Why Are Thousands of Migratory Salmon Dying Before They Can Spawn? by Courtney Sherwood, Christian Science Monitor, 7/27/15
Snowpack Drought Has Salmon Dying in Overheated Rivers by Hal Bernton, Seattle Times, 7/25/15
Biologists Bring Sockeye into Idaho on Trucks to Get Them Out of Hot Water by Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman, 7/17/15
Sockeye Salmon Facing Hot Water Will Be Trapped, Trucked by Associated Press, Idaho State Journal, 7/5/21
Columbia System Gets Hotter and Deadly for Salmon and Steelhead by Richard Rodriguez, Idaho Statesman, 7/5/21
The Heat Is On For Salmon by Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman, 8/3/13