UNION RIVER, Belfair — Hulking snaggletoothed salmon thrashed and rattled the steel pen as they tried to vault the walls.
Tracy and Kevin Stoops hoisted the tiger-striped black, burgundy and evergreen chum from the trap. The fish, fighting to get upstream to spawn the next generation of Hood Canal summer chum, was intercepted by volunteers at this weir used to tally the population.
The fish was one of nearly 13,000 the volunteers have counted so far in the largest run here since counts began in 1975. Hood Canal summer chum salmon were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act 25 years ago.