Declining Salmon Returns 2025 Community Notice_July 21 25

SYILX OKANAGAN NATION: Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) Fisheries Team are raising concerns over the 2025 return of sc̓win (sockeye salmon) as numbers are tracking far below forecasts, and a thermal barrier in the Okanogan River has halted their migration home. As a result, the ONA will not be coordinating a harvest for community distribution, or Food Fishery this year.

While pre-season forecasts anticipated a return of 350,200 sc̓win, recent data from the Columbia River dams indicates the actual number will be substantially lower. Currently, an estimated 152,709 sc̓win have been counted at the Bonneville Dam; the 4^th lowest count in the past 10 years. This number represents approximately 60% Okanagan sc̓win, but the other 40% is stock that will travel to different areas within the Columbia Basin.

This challenge is now critically compounded by extreme environmental conditions. As of June 30, 2025, water temperatures in the Okanogan River have exceeded 22° Celsius (71.6° F), thus creating a thermal barrier. This barrier forces sc̓win to delay or halt their upstream journeys, impacting their ability to reach Osoyoos Lake and their spawning grounds in the Okanagan River system.

As of July 14, 2025, 50,006 schave passed over Wells Dam, destined for the Okanagan. The vast majority of the run is stalled in the Columbia River, being forced to seek refuge in cooler, deeper waters. This prolonged delay in a warm environment depletes their crucial energy reserves, increases their susceptibility to disease and predators, and dramatically raises the risk of pre-spawn mortality, jeopardizing the success of the entire spawning season.

Our sc̓win are incredibly resilient, but in order to support their recovery, it is crucial to limit harvest activities to help ensure as many sc̓win as possible survive to spawn. Therefore, we must advise that when fishing, please only take what you need.

ONA Fisheries are conducting daily monitoring of river conditions and fish populations. The Syilx Okanagan Nation remains committed to advocating for and implementing solutions that address the impacts of climate change, ensuring the protection of these waters for salmon and future generations.

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On behalf of its member communities, the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) has spearheaded collaborative initiatives for decades to restore this crucial salmon run, partnering with tribal, state, federal, and provincial agencies. These concerted efforts have successfully revitalized the salmon population, which faced near-extinction in the 1990s. The ONA has a deep and enduring commitment to the preservation of salmon in our territory for generations to come.

For More Information, Please Contact:

Chad Fuller, Fisheries Program Manager

cfuller@syilx.org or 778-363-8623

 

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