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

Nearly 4,000 chum returned to Union River

November 9, 2023

Courtesy photo

Volunteers monitored the fish trap on the Union River around the clock from mid-August to mid-October. They counted 3,912 adult summer chum returning to spawn.

Between mid-August and mid-October, 3,912 adult chum salmon returned to spawn on the Union River in Belfair.

That's the count at the adult fish trap operated by the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group in Belfair on state Route 300. That's the fourth highest total counted in years when the fish were not supplemented on the river, said Josh O'Hara, the salmon and steelhead biologist for the group.

"It was definitely a good year," he said.

The annual counts have been conducted since 2000. The higher counts in nonsupplemental years were 6,479 in 2021, 5,810 in 2017 and 5,363 in 2022.

The decrea...

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