Posted Thursday, September 15, 2005

See bright red kokanee salmon at Sheep Creek, near Flaming Gorge

VERNAL — In September and early October, you can see an unusually colored wild fish swimming in several rivers and streams in Utah. Utah's kokanee salmon turn a brilliant red when they move into the streams to spawn.

To mark the event, the Division of Wildlife Resources will host a Kokanee Salmon Day on Sept. 24 at Sheep Creek, a tributary of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. DWR biologists will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help viewers see the fish and to interpret the kokanee's behavior. Display materials also will be available. The Sheep Creek site is about six miles south of Manila on SR-44 (Highway 44).

Utah's salmon populations are a completely freshwater species. They follow a similar life cycle to other salmon except instead of migrating from the Pacific Ocean to freshwater streams, kokanee migrate from freshwater lakes and reservoirs. Populations from Flaming Gorge, Strawberry Reservoir and Porcupine Reservoir spawn during the months of September and October. Most other populations spawn later in the year.

Kokanee salmon viewing tips

These early kokanee spawning runs are an excellent opportunity to discover Utah wildlife.

Viewers are asked to watch from the bank and to approach the water quietly and to move quietly to avoid disturbing the fish. Also, please keep pets and children out of the water. Studies have documented that kokanee salmon are sensitive to bank disturbances and that wading in the stream can disrupt the spawning run, destroy the redds (egg nests) and cover the eggs with silt.