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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's salmon populations turn bright red when they spawn, and people can see the colorful fish and learn about its life cycle at a Division of Wildlife Resources event.
Kokanee salmon are a completely freshwater fish species, according to DWR. They follow a lifecycle that's similar to other salmon, except instead of migrating from the Pacific Ocean to freshwater streams, kokanee reach the streams by migrating from freshwater lakes and reservoirs.
"We picked kokanee salmon as a species to highlight because they're very visible; they turn red when they spawn," DWR regional conservation outreach manager Ron Stewart said. "These colorful and unusual fish run or spawn in several Utah streams in September and October after spending about four years maturing in downstream reservoirs. One of the most scenic kokanee runs takes place in Sheep Creek, which is a tributary to Flaming Gorge."
The free wildlife viewing event will be held Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the U.S. Forest Service visitor center at Strawberry Reservoir and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Scenic Byway turnout where Sheep Creek crosses under Route 44 near Manila, Daggett County.
People who visit Sheep Creek to watch the spawning run should remember to quietly watch the fish from the bank and not wade in the stream, DWR said. Studies have documented that kokanee are sensitive to disturbances on the river bank, and wading in the stream can disrupt the spawning run, destroy the redds (egg nests) and cover the eggs with silt.
Display materials will be available at the Sheep Creek event to help visitors see the kokanee and interpret their behavior. DWR biologists will also have a spotting scope available in case bighorn sheep visit the area, which they usually do during Kokanee Salmon Day.
"It seems like there's always other wildlife, besides the bright red kokanee, to watch," Stewart said. "Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, red-tailed hawks, song birds, squirrels and a variety of other wildlife have greeted visitors in the past."
DWR biologists will also be available at the Strawberry Reservoir event to explain the peculiar life cycle of kokanee salmon. Visitors can see some salmon in the Strawberry River and at the fish trap and egg-taking facility behind the visitor center. DWR regional conservation outreach manager Scott Root said biologists are hoping to collect more than 2 million kokanee eggs this year that will be taken to DWR fish hatcheries. Once the eggs hatch, the fish will be raised in the fisheries.
"The eggs will come from kokanee handled at the egg-taking facility at Strawberry and from kokanee at Sheep Creek, a tributary to Flaming Gorge," Root said. "Survival success is much better in the hatcheries than it is in the wild. Next spring, the fish will be about 3 inches long. We'll stock them into kokanee salmon waters across Utah."
If you can't attend the events on Sept. 19, Root said salmon should be visible in the Strawberry River and other tributaries to Strawberry, from now until the first part of October.
