Drastically low numbers of salmon passing through Ballard Locks

The number of sockeye salmon returning to spawn through the Ballard Locks are some of the lowest on record. This could have major negative ripple effects on our ecosystem.

Fish coming from Puget Sound have to climb the ladder to get over the Ballard Locks to spawn. However, warm waters and a loss of nutrients are harming those efforts significantly.

Only 17,000 sockeye salmon passed through the Locks this summer. That's drastically lower than the more than 450,000 salmon that came through in 2006.

"What we see is what we got, and that's it," said Jan Bowersox.

Bowersox is a guide at the Ballard Locks visitor center. She says the plummeting sockeye numbers are concerning.

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