Over 10 Million Fraser Sockeye Now Expected; Most Since 2018

Northwest salmon managers raised the Fraser sockeye forecast to nearly 10.2 million fish, the largest return since 2018 and nearly three and a half times as many as initially predicted back to the southern British Columbia river.

The upgrade was made by the international Fraser River Panel today, and on this side of the international border, this afternoon WDFW opened sockeye retention in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and San Juan Islands through the end of this month, though catch is expected to be exceedingly small at best.

During last winter and spring’s season setting, managers said they only expected 2.95 million sockeye back to the Fraser this year, but the run has done much better. They’ve pointed to successful spawning for this year’s parent class, the 2021 return, work by federal, provincial and First Nations governments to improve passage around a 2019 landslide, and better environmental conditions for the fish.

Just south of the BC-Washington border, Baker Lake in the rugged North Cascades is seeing a record return of around 90,000 sockeye back.

The goodness has not extended to the struggling Lake Washington system near Seattle, but thanks to a late July surge, what had been looking like the lowest return in 50-plus years of record will only be the second worst.