This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some rivers in Utah soon will run red.
Red, because that's the color of spawning kokanee salmon as the nonnative fish make their way upstream out of reservoirs and lakes to create the next generation and then die.
State fisheries biologists have already spotted the salmon in Sheep Creek, a tributary of Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and on the Strawberry River above Strawberry Reservoir.
The run started Aug. 29, two weeks earlier than last year, said Ryan Mosley, Flaming Gorge project leader for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). Heavy rains could have caused the early run at Sheep Creek.
Visitors can check out the kokanee on Sheep Creek and the Strawberry River whenever they like, but a special viewing day is planned Sept. 20 at both locations.
The annual free Kokanee Salmon Viewing Day will be where Sheep Creek crosses Scenic Byway 44 on the Ashley National Forest in northeastern Utah and at the U.S. Forest Service visitor center at Strawberry Reservoir (just off of Highway 40 about 20 miles east of Heber City.
The Sheep Creek event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with biologists on site to answer questions. Visitors are encouraged to bring binoculars to Sheep Creek, as bighorn sheep have been hanging out near the site. Visitors might also see wild turkeys, mule deer and sandhill cranes. A spotting scope will be available for use.
Viewing events at the Strawberry visitors center will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with representatives of the DWR, U.S. Forest Service and Friends of Strawberry Valley on hand.
The fish can be seen in the river outside the visitors center, but visitors who follow the walkways upstream can watch fisheries biologists try to harvest kokanee eggs. The agency wants to collect 2 million eggs from the wild fish in Utah this fall.
Eggs from the Strawberry River and Sheep Creek will be moved to state hatcheries and the resulting fry will be released back into public waters next spring.
Fishing for spawning kokanee is illegal. People viewing the mini salmon migration are encouraged not to disturb the fish by getting too close to the water. Wading could scare the fish, or possibly destroy eggs laid in the streambed.
Twitter: @BrettPrettyman —
Watch a video of the salmon in Sheep Creek