Locus Focus on 04/29/13  Locus Focus Air date:  Mon, 04/29/2013
- 10:15am - 11:00am Short Description:  Why salmon prefer rivers
to hatcheries with author Steve Hawley   Back in 1992, "Lonesome
Larry” was the lone male sockeye salmon that returned to Redfish
Lake, high in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. In the 6 years
following Larry’s demise, the dearth of sockeye returns to
Redfish Lake (named for the sockeye) confirmed the sense that
these iconic fish would soon join the roster of extinct species.
For several years scientists experimented with a captive
breeding program to boost sockey numbers but met with little
success.  In 2005, a federal judge, James Redden, ordered more
water dedicated to salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. For
a few months during each of the following summers, the system
was managed to resemble a river. Water, and juvenile fish
migrating to the ocean, actually moved downstream. Salmon liked
the idea, and responded accordingly. Numbers on returns bounced
upward, offering a ray o