Field guide / 01
The sockeye.
The first big homecoming of summer.
Oncorhynchus nerka · Red salmon
SOCKEYE / SPAWNING COLORS
Look a little closer
Know a sockeye when you see one.
- A tail without the large black spots of Chinook and coho
- Silver during ocean life
- Red body and greenish head as spawning approaches
The artwork shows spawning colors; fish at the Locks may still be silver. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service identification guide ↗
At the Locks
Look in early summer.
In our seasonal guide, sockeye lead the main run, with the busiest stretch around early July. Exact timing changes each year.
There’s a particular pleasure in spotting the first fish of summer: a flash in the window, a shape holding against the flow, the whole season suddenly underway.
Choose a day to visit ↗From the official count table
23,188
Sockeye recorded through October 2, 2024.
A dated USACE snapshot, not today’s count.
Explore the recorded run ↗