Today at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery, it's just another day of sifting through salmon. Chinook salmon, mostly, like this 106 pounder. But every once and a while, the team here runs across an endangered sockeye salmon, identified by its brilliant red color.

A few years ago, sockeye salmon were almost thought to be a lost cause, their numbers depleted by dams. But because of a smolt release group, and better living conditions, the fish are making a comeback. In 2006 only three fish returned to the lake. And this year, the team is expecting 600–800.

Idaho Fish and Game Research Biologist Mike Peterson says, "One of the biggest misconceptions with the sockeye program is that it is a recovery program. It has always been a genetic conservation program. We are trying to ramp this into a recovery program, and the last few years, we've started releasing smolts, a smolt release group, and that's why we started seeing such good returns this year and last year."

And so far, since July 22nd, the team has run across 135 sockeye, catching about 20–30 a day.
The fish are put in a tank, and driven back to Eagle Hatchery, where the state Sockeye program is based.

The sockeye salmon have been on the endangered species list since 1991, and are still on that list today. Peterson says he is confident we will begin to see their numbers increase once again.

Peterson says, "We feel if we can produce smolts, and release them, that we're going to see these fish back as adults."