One of the World's Largest Sockeye Salmon Spawning. . .

Every year in early October the Sockeye Salmon make their run of the Adams River. Every 4th year is a "dominant" run, with millions of fish to be seen (2010 & 2014 will be dominant runs).

Nearly 10 million sockeye salmon returned in 2010 to the Fraser River and the Adams River. And the year after each large run is also worth a visit as over 300,000 fish return.

An Epic Migration . . .
The Adams River sockeye travel from their spawning grounds to the South Thompson River, then into the Fraser River, and enter the Pacific. From the Strait of Georgia, they spend three years in the open ocean. There, they follow Arctic currents to Alaska and the Aleutian islands. Retracing their route to the Adams, they complete a round trip of over 4,000 km.





Only 1 out of every four thousand eggs live 
to return . . .

Struggling against insurmountable odds, 1 out of every four thousand eggs laid in the Adams River lives to return to the Adams River as a spawning adult. Grizzly and black bears; Native, commercial and sport fishermen pursue the sockeye salmon from California to Alaska, both in the North Pacific Ocean and the rivers where the salmon enter to spawn.





The sockeye's physical transformation . . .

The sockeye's physical transformation is an amazing anomaly and miracle of nature. They do not eat during this period of their lives. They rely on fat reserves stored up from heavy feeding in the late summer.

During this time, the salmon take on their distinctive red color. The male fish also develop large humped backs and aggressive hooked mouths. They are very protective of their mates and will aggressively fight other males to protect their mate.





The miracle of nature . . .
Of all the salmon species, the sockeye has the broadest migration range in the Pacific Ocean, reaching as far as Japan.

We had the great fortune of seeing the 2010 dominant run and it truly is amazing. We stood in awe at the number of fish and their life & death battle to reproduce. The miracle of nature . . .





Getting there . . . . 
It's a fantastic drive in the Shuswap of British Columbia; rural, pristine mountains, lakes & rivers.

The park is located on both sides of the Adams River, between Adams Lake and Shuswap Lake. From Hwy #1 at Squilax, east of Kamloops, the access is 5 km on paved roads. Scotch Creek, Sorrento, Salmon Arm, Kamloops and Chase are the closest communities to this park.[1]

For more on the history of the Roderick Haig-Brown Park:  [1] BC Parks
For more information on the Adams River: Wikki - Adams River (British Columbia)