Barry Rosenberger, Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s area director, said Tuesday the latest estimate from the Pacific Salmon Commission indicates the return of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River is the largest in recorded history.

More than 25 million fish are on the move into the river, headed for spawning grounds throughout the Interior. More than 16 million of the Fraser River fish are bound for runs in the Shuswap, including the Adams River.

Rosenberger said commercial, native and sport anglers will likely harvest 40 per cent or so of those fish. The rest, however, are expected to arrive on the spawning grounds, meaning more than eight million fish could be in the Adams River this October.

This is the largest return in the sockeye’s four-year spawning cycle, but this year’s estimates are much larger than past peaks. In 2006, 2.5 million fish returned. In 2002, 5.5 million came back.

Some people worry such big numbers of spawning fish do more harm than good on the spawning grounds, as there is not sufficient space for all the fish to mate, lay their eggs and die.

“People have raised concerns about overspawning,” he said, adding this year’s return could put a great deal of strain on the ecosystem.

The mass of fish will make for tremendous viewing opportunities, he noted. The Salute to the Sockeye will take place at Roderick Haig-Brown provincial park in early October, the peak of the run.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to head for the park to take in the natural spectacle, billed as the largest run of spawning fish in the world.

For more information about the planned Salute to the Sockeye, visit the Adams River Society’s web site at http://www.salmonsociety.com.

Rosenberger said sockeye salmon are already showing big numbers in some Shuswap tributaries, including Scotch Creek, where more than 70,000 fish have flooded the small system in recent days.

The Adams-bound salmon typically do not arrive in the lake until late September, and rush the river in early October.

Rosenberger said river temperatures are not as warm as they have been in past years, and water levels are higher. As a result, it’s not expected the run will suffer the dramatic mortality some sockeye runs have faced in past years.

“It will be pretty phenomenal,” Rosenberger said. “If people want to see wild salmon on the spawning grounds, this would be the year.”

Commercial and sport anglers will also have more opportunity to catch the fish well into terminal areas of the system, he said. Sport seasons are already open in place on the Thompson River, and a Secwepemc commercial gillnet fishery will go ahead on Kamloops Lake.

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