Fish counts · Kenai River
Kenai River Late-Run Sockeye Salmon Fish Counts
The biggest salmon run on the Kenai Peninsula: an average of 1,986,461 sockeye a season, counted one fish at a time by sonar ten miles below our cabins. Here is every number that matters, and what it means for your fishing.
The short version
Kenai sockeye at a glance
- Jul 23–Jul 29peak week, 23% of the run
- Jul 1–Aug 19usual counting season
- 1,986,461average season, 2016–2025
- 68,000+sockeye a day at the average peak
- 249,944busiest day: July 27, 2025
- 1,111,7812026 season: 44% below average
- 2026: Kenai sockeye counted each day
- An average day, 2016–2025 (7-day average)
Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons.
Show the numbers
| Day | 2026 count | Average day |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 1 | 5,417 | 4,005 |
| Jul 2 | 3,598 | 5,609 |
| Jul 3 | 7,651 | 7,572 |
| Jul 4 | 10,893 | 9,714 |
| Jul 5 | 7,729 | 11,566 |
| Jul 6 | 5,024 | 13,490 |
| Jul 7 | 6,708 | 15,344 |
| Jul 8 | 9,028 | 16,491 |
| Jul 9 | 12,048 | 17,617 |
| Jul 10 | 11,080 | 18,670 |
| Jul 11 | 10,139 | 19,210 |
| Jul 12 | 8,277 | 20,121 |
| Jul 13 | 9,637 | 21,887 |
| Jul 14 | 13,100 | 27,385 |
| Jul 15 | 9,366 | 32,458 |
| Jul 16 | 9,705 | 37,512 |
| Jul 17 | 14,545 | 45,173 |
| Jul 18 | 15,995 | 53,007 |
| Jul 19 | 23,584 | 56,891 |
| Jul 20 | 17,231 | 60,117 |
| Jul 21 | 18,040 | 60,536 |
| Jul 22 | 11,603 | 63,161 |
| Jul 23 | 26,784 | 66,383 |
| Jul 24 | 171,844 | 67,509 |
| Jul 25 | 159,801 | 67,165 |
| Jul 26 | 153,910 | 68,433 |
| Jul 27 | 97,202 | 67,515 |
| Jul 28 | 60,835 | 65,914 |
| Jul 29 | 31,082 | 63,666 |
| Jul 30 | 28,134 | 60,390 |
| Jul 31 | 13,504 | 56,206 |
| Aug 1 | 12,172 | 53,408 |
| Aug 2 | 9,608 | 51,536 |
| Aug 3 | 24,614 | 50,806 |
| Aug 4 | 19,817 | 50,438 |
| Aug 5 | 12,289 | 47,838 |
| Aug 6 | 12,187 | 44,879 |
| Aug 7 | 10,275 | 40,978 |
| Aug 8 | 12,217 | 38,028 |
| Aug 9 | 6,881 | 35,649 |
| Aug 10 | 8,227 | 33,492 |
| Aug 11 | — | 31,370 |
| Aug 12 | — | 29,879 |
| Aug 13 | — | 29,647 |
| Aug 14 | — | 30,474 |
| Aug 15 | — | 29,403 |
| Aug 16 | — | 27,727 |
| Aug 17 | — | 25,984 |
| Aug 18 | — | 23,577 |
| Aug 19 | — | 21,221 |
| Aug 20 | — | 18,268 |
| Aug 21 | — | 14,882 |
| Aug 22 | — | 12,333 |
| Aug 23 | — | 10,127 |
| Aug 24 | — | 8,422 |
| Aug 25 | — | 6,470 |
2026 was the second-lowest season of the last 15: 1,111,781 sockeye, 44% below average. Even so, July 24 alone brought 171,844 fish past the counter, and the total landed inside Fish and Game's goal range. Wild fish don't send RSVPs: some years are enormous, some are lighter, and a light year on the Kenai is still more sockeye than most rivers see.
Escapement
How fast the river fills up
"Escapement" is the running total: every fish that has passed the sonar, added up day by day. It is how Fish and Game manages the run. The Kenai's run is healthy and strong, and the count rarely struggles to reach its goal: in 10 of the last 10 seasons it passed the bottom of the goal range, at a median of Jul 26.
In an average season about 1,630,000 sockeye have passed the counter by August 9, spread out over 82 miles of river, and 1,986,461 by the end of the count. That really makes for spectacular fishing.
- 2026: counted so far
- An average season, 2016–2025
- Fish and Game's goal range
Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons. Goal ranges as Alaska FishTopia prints them.
Show the numbers
| Through | 2026 so far | Average season so far |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 1 | 5,417 | 5,876 |
| Jul 8 | 56,048 | 86,839 |
| Jul 15 | 129,695 | 227,685 |
| Jul 22 | 240,398 | 625,920 |
| Jul 29 | 941,856 | 1,104,953 |
| Aug 5 | 1,061,994 | 1,465,706 |
| Aug 12 | — | 1,715,247 |
| Aug 19 | — | 1,909,334 |
| Aug 26 | — | 1,980,225 |
Run timing
When to fish the Kenai sockeye
The sockeye start showing in good numbers in mid-July, and then the run just takes off for the next several weeks. Because the Kenai is such a big river, our guides call about 20,000 fish a day good fishing: on an average year the count is at that level from about Jul 12 to Aug 19. The peak week, Jul 23–Jul 29, carries about 23% of the whole run.
There is an earlier run of sockeye in the Kenai, too, but those fish are mostly bound for the Russian River, a tributary of the upper Kenai, and they are counted there. See the Russian River counts.
The Kenai's sockeye are famous for their size as well as their numbers. The world-record sockeye came from this river: Stan Roach's 15 lb 3 oz fish, caught August 9, 1987.
- Kenai sockeye
Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons. Average fish counted per day (7-day average).
Show the numbers
| Week of | Kenai sockeye |
|---|---|
| Jun 25 | — |
| Jul 2 | 5,609 |
| Jul 9 | 17,617 |
| Jul 16 | 37,512 |
| Jul 23 | 66,383 |
| Jul 30 | 60,390 |
| Aug 6 | 44,879 |
| Aug 13 | 29,647 |
| Aug 20 | 18,268 |
| Aug 27 | 3,477 |
15 seasons
Every season since 2012
Show the numbers
| Season | Fish counted | Against the ADF&G goal |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,581,555 | Above |
| 2013 | 1,359,893 | Above |
| 2014 | 1,523,155 | Above |
| 2015 | 1,709,053 | Above |
| 2016 | 1,383,692 | Above |
| 2017 | 1,308,498 | Above |
| 2018 | 1,035,761 | Within |
| 2019 | 1,849,054 | Above |
| 2020 | 1,714,565 | Above |
| 2021 | 2,441,825 | Above |
| 2022 | 1,567,750 | Above |
| 2023 | 2,351,020 | Above |
| 2024 | 1,926,350 | Above |
| 2025 | 4,286,091 | Above |
| 2026 | 1,111,781 | Within |
How it is counted
The river-mile-19 sonar
The Kenai's sockeye are counted by underwater sonar at river mile 19, on an inside bend of the lower river where the depth and current bring the fish right through. Fish and Game counts both banks. A current-powered fish wheel nearby scoops fish into a holding tank so biologists can sample them, including how many of the fish counted are sockeye and how many are pink salmon in even-numbered years.
Kenai sockeye are some of the finest table fare in the world: firm, deep-red fillets that our guests love taking home.
Questions
Kenai River sockeye count questions
When do sockeye run on the Kenai River?
The Kenai's late-run sockeye are usually counted from Jul 1 to Aug 19. In most years half the run has passed between Jul 23 and Aug 3, and the peak week, Jul 23–Jul 29, carries about 23% of the run.
How many sockeye swim up the Kenai River?
An average of 1,986,461 a season over 2016–2025. The most in the last 15 seasons was 4,286,091 in 2025; the busiest single day was July 27, 2025, with 249,944 fish.
Where is the Kenai River sockeye sonar?
At river mile 19 of the Kenai, on an inside bend where the depth and current bring the fish through. Fish and Game counts both banks, and a fish wheel nearby samples the run to tell sockeye from pinks in even-numbered years.
What is the Kenai River sockeye escapement goal?
Fish and Game's goal range, as Alaska FishTopia prints it, is 750,000 to 1,300,000 sockeye. In 10 of the last 10 seasons the count passed the bottom of that range, at a median of Jul 26.
Counts are Fish and Game's preliminary in-season numbers and can be revised. Fish and Game can change seasons and limits by emergency order: check the current regulations before you fish.
More fish counts
Every run we watch
- All Kenai Peninsula countsEvery counted run on one page
- Kenai River fish countsSockeye, kings and the Russian
- Kenai River sockeyeThe big July run
- Kasilof River sockeyeThe earlier run, next river south
- Russian River sockeyeEarly run in June, late run in August
- Kenai River kingsEarly and late runs
- Kenai River silversWhy there is no count, and when to come
- Salmon run timing, May to OctoberThe whole season, month by month
Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons. All counts on these pages come from Alaska FishTopia, which posts them daily in season; the Alaska FishTopia app sends count alerts to your phone.