Baker River sockeye salmon season and counts

Baker sockeye are native to Baker Lake and Baker River, a tributary to the Skagit River. Each year, sockeye returning to the lake are trapped below two dams before they are transported above the facilities where they are placed at artificial spawning beaches, used for production at the lake’s hatchery facility, or released into Baker Lake to spawn naturally.

Natural spawning takes place mostly in seeps and springs at the head end of the lake and in the lower Baker River, although some sockeye may also enter other tributaries. Fry from the artificial spawning beaches and from hatchery production are released into Baker Lake and Shannon Lake, where they rear naturally.

At the smolt stage, sockeye are captured at both the lower and upper dams and released downstream for their seaward journey.

Baker River 2021

As of July 12, 2021, harvestable numbers of sockeye have been transported to Baker Lake. As such, Baker lake will open to sockeye retention effective July 17^th, 2021 through August 31^st, 2021.

Additional information: This fishery may close early if fishery monitoring data indicates the sockeye escapement goal to the lake is threatened. The lake escapement goal is 1,500 sockeye left to spawn naturally in the lake and tributaries. Anglers should continue to regularly check the WDFW emergency rule updates web page and consider signing up for emailed regulation updates and rule change notifications for the latest information on Baker Lake. These web pages can be found at https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/ and https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/lists.

Puget Sound Energy employees operate and maintain the facilities at the Baker River Project under the directives of WDFW and tribal co-managers. These facilities not only include the hatchery and spawning beaches, but also an upstream trap-and-haul facility, and floating surface collectors for juvenile fish at Baker Lake and Lake Shannon.

Hatchery broodstock and natural spawner schedule

Fish that return to the Baker trap are prioritized to first meet our hatchery broodstock needs. Once the hatchery goal is met for the week, all remaining fish are transferred to Baker lake for the recreational fishery and to meet natural spawning goals in the lake.

2020 Hatchery Broodstock collection (8,500) and natural spawner collection (1,500) schedule

Week	Total Broodstock Only Collection	Cumulative Total Collection
6/8 - 6/14	0	2
6/15 - 6/21	23	56
6/22 - 6/28	302	515
6/29 - 7/05	939	1,351
7/6 - 7/12	1824	2,422
7/13 - 7/19	2375	2,712
7/20 - 7/26	1595	1,630
7/27 - 8/2	853	804
8/3 - 8/9	378	313
8/10 - 8/16	128	109
8/17 - 8/23	50	54
8/24 - 8/30	32	32
After 8/31	0	0
Total	8500	10,000

Sockeye returns

Adult Baker sockeye enter the trap from mid-June to mid-October. Numbers of returning fish peak in mid-July. Spawning occurs from mid-September through December, peaking from late September to late November.

2021 daily counts

Date	Baker Lake	Broodstock	Spawn Beach	Total
6/1 - 6/14	1	1	0	2
6/15	0	0	0	0
6/16	0	0	0	0
6/17	0	7	0	7
6/18	0	6	6	12
6/19	0	0	3	3
6/20	8	0	3	11
6/21	0	6	0	6
6/22	0	21	0	21
6/23	0	28	0	28
6/24	0	66	0	66
6/25	0	49	0	49
6/26	0	11	80	91
6/27	0	0	42	42
6/28	0	71	0	71
6/29	0	56	0	56
6/30	0	24	0	24
7/1	0	21	0	21
7/2	0	43	0	43
7/3	0	48	0	48
7/4	0	55	0	55
7/5	0	156	0	156
7/6	0	384	0	384
7/7	0	799	275	1,074
7/8	245	0	826	1,071
7/9	3,097	0	0	3,097
7/10	1,056	0	0	1,056
7/11	2,826	0	0	2,826
7/12	0	1426	295	1721
7/13	659	0	655	1314
7/14	0	957	492	1449
7/15	757	0	146	903
7/16	1782	0	0	1782
7/17	0	0	0	0
7/18	522	0	0	522
7/19	0	519	311	830
7/20	0	0	20	20
7/21	0	0	0	0
7/22	0	0	0	0
7/23	0	0	0	0
7/24	0	0	0	0
7/25	0	0	0	0
7/26	0	219	109	328
7/27	0	0	50	50
7/28	0	0	0	0
7/29	0	0	0	0
7/30	0	0	0	0
7/31	0	0	0	0
8/1	0	0	0	0
8/2	0	77	51	128
8/3	88	0	0	88
8/4	92	0	0	92
8/5	130	0	0	130
8/6	64	0	0	64
8/7	0	0	0	0
8/8	0	0	0	0
8/9	239	29	20	288
8/10	0	0	0	0
8/11	0	70	0	70
8/12	65	0	0	65
8/13	0	22	0	22
8/14	0	78	0	78
8/15	0	49	0	49
8/16	0	69	8	77
8/17	0	52	0	52
8/18	0	41	0	41
8/19	7	31	0	38
8/20	19	0	0	19
8/21	12	0	0	12
8/22	15	0	0	15
8/23	18	9	5	32
8/24	13	0	0	13
8/25	6	0	0	6
8/26	4	0	0	4
8/27	7	0	0	7
8/28	3	0	0	3
8/29	6	0	0	6
8/30	19	0	0	19
8/31	10	0	0	10
9/1	60	0	0	60
9/2-9/16	108	0	0	108
Total number of fish transferred to Baker Lake	11,938	-	-	-
Total number of fish transferred to Broodstock	-	5,500	-	-
Total number of fish transferred to Spawning beach	-	-	3,389	-
Cumulative Total number of fish	-	-	-	20,833

Baker River sockeye salmon trap counts

On desktop/laptop, move the cursor over a data point to see the exact date and count. To zoom in or out on the chart, use the mouse scroll wheel. Click and drag the graph to pan the data left or right.

On touch devices, tap the data point to see the exact date and count. To zoom in or out on the chart, spread or pinch the chart area. Tap and drag the graph to pan the data left or right.

To view and compare counts from previous years, click/tap the year in the legend below the chart to toggle it on or off.

Baker River sockeye salmon trap counts by year

Year	Trap Count
2020	15,896
2019	13,016
2018	17,609
2017	16,703
2016	24,986
2015	32,736
2014	14,176
2013	12,534
2012	28,410
2011	27,195
2010	18,809
2009	6,486
2008	3,211
2007	2,763
2006	8,325
2005	3,192
2004	9,113
2003	20,236
2002	4,023
2001	4,942
2000	10,404
1999	4,654
1998	13,187
1997	7,099
1996	7,769
1995	2,181
1994	15,991
1993	3,818
1992	2,443
1991	480
1990	1,977
1989	536
1988	818
1987	683
1986	542
1985	99
1984	358
1983	735
1982	1,869
1981	208
1980	499
1979	865
1978	2,716
1977	1,707
1976	1,518
1975	1,303
1974	3,611
1973	3,656
1972	10,031
1971	2,931
1970	821