The Sockeye salmon have two historic runs, one from the Pacific Ocean to Wallowa lake in Eastern Oregon and the other to Suttle Lake in Central Oregon. Blocked by dams, the Sockeye have not traveled their natural paths for 50-100 years. Now with help from organizations like the Deschutes Land Trust, Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs we are learning how to restore the salmon back to their natural habitat. 

“A dam presents an obvious obstacle to migrating fish. Dams block the downstream movement of juvenile fish to the waters where they will spend their adult lives — the ocean for salmon and steelhead, or a lake or river for resident fish like trout, bull trout, or sturgeon. With more than 400 dams in the Columbia River Basin, and more than half of them dedicated fully or partly to generating hydropower, the region’s primary source of electricity, fish passage at dams has been a major problem for nearly as long as dams have been built in the basin.” Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

The journey of the Sockeye Salmon is taxing, to say the least, traveling hundreds of miles from the lake where they hatch, through rivers and streams where they face predators, parasites and disease. Shifting weather patterns have presented a challenge as well, with water levels becoming too low and drastic temperature changes causing an increase in energy expenditure, drawing much needed energy from their fat storage, organs and muscles. Finally, they reach the ocean where they live for about 2 years, before they begin their journey back through the rivers and streams to their home ground lake where they mate, lay their eggs and end their life cycle.

We highly recommend watching, Artifishal (by Patagonia), it provides solid information about the current status of the salmon and the challenges they face as a species. As humans use the river, building damns for energy and the ocean for commercial fishing, the least we can do is try and protect the population of this incredible species by doing our part and becoming educated.  We chose the iconic Sockeye Salmon to represent our new can because of its importance to our PNW environment as a keystone species and the need for help in protecting their natural habitat. 

 “Today, after an absence of more than 50 years, sockeye salmon are coming back to their home waters. There is a massive, collaborative effort underway to help these fish thrive once again. Places with healthy protected streams, like the Metolius Preserve, will be key to their future.” Deschutes Land Trust