Colorado Parks and Wildlife has canceled the Thursday Kokanee salmon giveaway in Dolores because of low returns this fall. Biologists say another giveaway may happen in early November, but fish numbers are unlikely to improve.
Field surveys are seeing “tens of fish, not hundreds of fish, as it usually is” in the spawning channel, said CPW aquatic biologist Kade Jackson, who is based in Durango.
“We’re monitoring that population actively, checking it multiple times a week, but we’re just not seeing numbers we’re really able to do anything with,” Jackson said.
The cancellation halts a longtime annual event that typically draws local families hoping to take home fresh fish.
Dolores historically has been one of Southwest Colorado’s strongest Kokanee sources, with hundreds of adult Kokanee returning to spawn—enough to support CPW’s egg sampling, field testing and public giveaways.
Jackson said having Dolores offline means other wild, spawn-intake sessions this year face pressure to fill the gaps in their egg collection. Dolores typically contributes hundreds of thousands to nearly a million Kokanee eggs toward CPW’s statewide goal of 9 million to 10 million eggs each fall, he said.
Other Kokanee operations are still on track, Jackson said. Roaring Judy Hatchery near Gunnison is seeing a “pretty significant Kokanee run this year,” and giveaways there are underway. In 2024, CPW gathered 10.1 million eggs from nine locations.
He added none of the giveaways planned at Lake Nighthorse in Durango have been canceled, and there is still “potentially the opportunity for people to get salmon from Lake Nighthorse” while Dolores numbers are low. Those giveaway days are scheduled for Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 14 and Nov. 21.
Dolores’ low-population year is considered a one-off, or “down cycle,” rather than an indicator of a long-term downward trend.
“With that recent precipitation event we had, I think, the Dolores River went from 80 cubic feet per second to 1,000 cubic feet per second. That potentially flushed a few fish downstream that were getting ready to stage,” Jackson said.
During fall runs, adult salmon swim back up to the spawning channel they imprinted on after three years in the reservoir.
Typically, hundreds of salmon are guided into a structured area where CPW can collect them and their eggs to stock McPhee Reservoir, Lake Nighthorse and other reservoirs statewide. Some Kokanee are sent for lab testing to gauge overall health conditions and check for any parasites or disease.
The leftover Kokanee, which are not sent for testing, die naturally after spawning. Instead of wasting food, salmon are distributed to licensed fishers, families and members of tribal nations during giveaway days.
In recent years, Kokanee numbers at Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison have dropped because of a parasite known as gill lice, said Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson John Livingston. Jackson said gill lice have not been detected in McPhee, the upper Dolores or San Juan River basins.
This year’s weak return could be a mix of environmental factors: drought-driven habitat causing heat stress, limited food, losses among stocked young or disrupted timing from recent rains. It could also be due to natural swings. Kokanee experience boom-and-bust years, Jackson said, and this season appears to be a down cycle rather than a long-term decline.
“It’s a natural system. Nature is pretty cyclical, and it has its ups and downs, and we're just happening be experiencing one of those down years,” Jackson said.
He said CPW crews and fishers have observed unusually large Kokanee, which Jackson said could mean lower overall population density.
CPW expects to know early next week whether any salmon return is large enough to support a Nov. 6 giveaway in Dolores. Jackson said residents may check for updates through CPW before making plans.
He said a large enough intake is unlikely, but CPW will provide updates if that changes.
