Visitors have been enthralled by the fish pouring through the fish ladder this month. There's still time to catch the show, as the salmon run goes fairly strong through July.
Update, July 29
The sockeye salmon run has begun tapering off, and while it won't reach high enough numbers to open up the fishing season, it's a significant step up from previous years.
As of July 28, 176,071 salmon have been counted going through the Locks. This beats the numbers going all the way back to 2006, which saw 418,085 salmon go through the locks -- the last year when sport and Tribal fishing was opened up for sockeye salmon.
Meanwhile, the Chinook (king) salmon run has also started. That count is up to 1,289.
People should be able to see salmon at the locks at least through the end of August.
Original, June 27
The sockeye salmon count this year got off to a strong start, with 5,202 fish counted coming through the Ballard Locks fish ladder in the first two days.
Now, as of June 23, the count is at 54,064, well on it's way to overcoming the projected forecast of 96,866 for the season. However, it's still too early to tell if the salmon count will reach the 350,000 needed before any fisheries can be considered.
The date to keep an eye on is July 7, which is considered the "50 percent" day. After that day, counts tend to take a gradual curve downward and will reach no more than double the number counted on that day.
This year is strong compared to previous years, which have had historically low counts. In 2011, a total of only 42,000 sockeye were counted. In 2009, 21,000. And in 2008, 33,000.
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