Report: Are Those Reds Or Pinks?

Here’s more from KTUU:

More than 100,000 sockeye salmon passed through the Lower Kenai River over three days in the past week according to the Department of Fish and Game, but some river users believe that the department’s fish counts are inflating the number of sockeye salmon by inaccurately counting pink salmon as sockeye.

Joe Hanes has been on the river since 1969 and has operated a guide service on the river since 1986. He says he’s seen an apparent disconnect between the department’s numbers and the conditions in the river for around 15 years, especially on even-numbered years when Kenai sees a dramatically larger run of pink salmon.

“A lot of people think they’re going to come down here and catch sockeye salmon because the department said over 300,000, or well over 200,000 sockeye came in the river the last few days,” Hanes said. “As we can see, they’re all pinks.”