As of early August, 17,000 sockeye had returned from the ocean, compared to hundreds of thousands at their peak years.

Sockeye salmon are returning to Lake Washington in the smallest numbers since record-keeping started.

Visitors to the Ballard locks shouldn’t expect to see many sockeye swimming through those fish windows.

“Now they’re likely to see one or two sockeye salmon at any given time at the peak of the run whereas before there were hundreds,” said Aaron Bosworth Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist who oversees a program in partnership with the Muckleshoot Tribe to count fish at the locks.

“One of our valuable resources is kind of slowly slipping away,” Bosworth said.

Bosworth blames global warming.

Life is getting harder for sockeye salmon in the oceans, with warmer water and less food. Things are also worse for young salmon upstream. For example, other fish that eat them are more active as Lake Washington heats up earlier and stays warm for longer.