The Wells Hydroelectric Project, located on the Columbia River, has fish ladders at each end of the dam. Fish ladders allow adult fish to easily pass the dam in their upstream migration. From May 1st to November 15th cameras record fish passage fish ladder windows are the recordings are reviewed the following day. These adult fish are returning to spawning areas and hatcheries in the Columbia, Methow, and Okanogan rivers. To reach Wells Dam, these fish have already migrated 515 miles from the mouth of the Columbia, and have already passed eight other federal and PUD dams. Some of these adults will travel an additional 200 miles past Wells Dam before reaching their natal rivers to spawn. The Wells Project is the upper-most dam on the Columbia River to provide fish passage. The next dam upstream of Wells Dam, called Chief Joseph Dam, is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Chief Joseph Dam does not currently have juvenile or adult fish passage facilities.
Or look at the DART Adult Passage Daily Counts page.
| Type | 11/09/2023 | 11/10/2023 | 11/11/2023 | 11/12/2023 | 11/13/2023 | 11/14/2023 | 11/15/2023 | Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bull Trout | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Chinook | 24 | 40 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 37,552 |
| Coho | 20 | 24 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 7,498 |
| Lamprey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 696 |
| Sockeye | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 136,956 |
| Steelhead | 13 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 5,216 |
See Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fishing and Stocking Reports: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/stocking/trout-plants
Public Safety Measure: No overnight camping allowed at Carpenter Island Boat Launch. More Info here.