On Sept. 1, Sonoma Water installed a video camera in the Mirabel fish ladder to monitor adult salmon returning to the Russian River to spawn. The Chinook salmon currently returning to the Russian River are the offspring of wild parents that naturally spawned either in the upper 75 miles of the mainstem or in Dry Creek. So far, video footage has been reviewed by our staff through November 3 and 941 adult Chinook salmon have been observed. 
 
This is the 21st year that Sonoma Water has operated this camera. Based on this dataset, the long-term average for the season is 2,641 Chinook and the peak of the Chinook run in the Russian River typically takes place between mid-October and mid-November. In the Russian River most adult Chinook are observed following rain events. We look forward to seeing many more Chinook as we approach winter and the weather changes.

It's important to note that there is no hatchery production of Chinook salmon in the Russian River, in contrast to the Russian River steelhead and coho populations, which consist of a mixture of hatchery-raised and wild individuals. These Chinook salmon, returning to the Russian River to begin their spawning process, typically range in age from two to four years. After the eggs are deposited in the gravel, they undergo approximately two months of incubation before the fry emerge and embark on their downstream migration.