Chinook & Steelhead Returns to Bonneville Dam, 5/9/17

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urge chinook spawn
2017 spring Chinook returns finally take off.

The 2017 spring adult Chinook salmon and Steelhead migration to the Columbia River basin has begun.  Bonneville dam is the first dam encountered by salmon and steelhead adults as they return to their natal waters to spawn.  Fish destined for the middle and upper Columbia and Snake Rivers will encounter 3 more dams (The Dalles, John Day, and McNary).  Fish entering the Snake will encounter another 4 dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite).  Fish destined for the upper Columbia could encounter an additional 5 dams (Priest Rapids, Wanapum, Rock Island, Rocky Reach, and Wells) .  No fish passage is available at Chief Joseph dam, so that is as high in the Columbia that they can reach.  Prior to dam construction on the Columbia River, salmon migrated all the way into Canada.

CHINOOOK

As of 5/8/17, the current and recent past counts of Spring Chinook Salmon that have passed Bonneville dam and entered the Columbia River system are:

2017:  23,963

2016:  93,766

10-yr avg:  99,159

The 2017 returns finally took off and are at 24% of the 10-year average!  The urge to spawn couldn’t wait any longer, regardless of high flows and cold water.  You can read more about salmon spawning and the changes they undergo before entering the fresh water of the Columbia/Snake River system here.

It is still not known if this 2017 run is late, small, or a combination of both.  It has been predicted by fisheries managers to be smaller than last year and smaller than the 10-year average.  You can read more about why here.  

STEELHEAD

The current and recent past counts of Steelhead are:

2017:  2,596

2016: 4,011

10-yr avg:  4,055

WILD STEELHEAD

The current and recent past counts of Wild Steelhead are:

2017:  898

2016:  1,638

10-yr avg:  1,379

All data is from the Fish Passage Center website (fpc.org)

While what seem to be impressive numbers of fish return to the Columbia River basin today, be aware that historically 17 MILLION salmon returned to the Columbia River each year.