Fisheries Dept Stationed a person near this Sockeye carcass to answer the obvious question, why was this fish cut open?

When 36 million fish enter a waterway, all intent on spawning, the crush of fish, rocks, and other hazards such as fishermens nets sometimes prove to be too much, and the fish dies before getting to spawn. This female sockeye was found on the beach, and a fisheries employee cut it open to verify that it was a failed spawning.

This is the largest sockeye return in the Adams river since 1913, and fisheries are using every opportunity to study the run and it's success.

As you can see by the colour, these are freshly exposed eggs. Within hours, they will turn bright orange, making them easier to see by the various birds that will feed on the eggs. Notice the female sockeye does not have the large hooked beak and large teeth of the male sockeye.