Shelton-Mason County Journal - Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886

For the second consecutive year, summer chum returned by the thousands to their birthplace in the Union River in Belfair.

From Aug. 15 to Oct. 15 each year, the Belfair-based Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group at the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center conducts a count of summer chum salmon at a fish trap on the Union River on state Route 300. Around the clock, volunteers and research interns collect data on summer chum, and obtain adult summer chum for artificial spawning and stock supplementation.

Last year, 6,479 summer chum were counted, the most for a year without hatchery supplementation...