Commercial Harvest in Alaska Exceeds 77M Salmon

The commercial harvest of salmon in Alaska has now topped 77 million fish, according to preliminary data compiled through Monday, July 24, by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Through that date, 44.4 million sockeyes, 23.4 million pinks, nearly nine million chums, 242,000 cohos and 153,000 Chinooks have been delivered to processors.

The largest catch continues to be in the state’s central region, including Bristol Bay, Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, with a preliminary total catch now exceeding 64 million fish, including 40.7 million sockeyes.

The Bristol Bay harvest alone stands at nearly 38 million fish, predominantly sockeyes, while in Cook Inlet, the harvest is at some 1.4 million fish, mostly sockeyes. In Prince William Sound, harvesters have delivered upwards of 25.3 million salmon, including 1.8 million sockeyes, along with over 19 million pinks, 4.3 million chums, 8,000 Chinooks and 3,000 cohos.

In Alaska’s westward region, the count stands at 6.3 million fish, including 3.4 million sockeyes, 1.8 million pinks, 931,000 chums, 90,000 cohos and 10,000 Chinooks. Of that total, the Alaska Peninsula has to date brought in 3.2 million fish.

This includes over two million sockeyes, 651,000 pinks, 426,000 chums, 43,000 cohos and 3,000 kings, while in Kodiak deliveries of 2.5 million fish have included over one million pinks, 893,000 sockeyes, 494,000 chums, 40,000 cohos and 7,000 chinooks.

Southeast Alaska harvesters have contributed 6.1 million fish, including 3.4 million chums, 2.2 million pinks, 180,000 sockeyes and 130,000 each of cohos and kings.

In the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region, where only Norton Sound and Kotzebue harvesters are allowed to commercial fish due to low runs, a total of 25,000 salmon have been brought to processors, among them some 22,000 chums and 3,000 pink salmon.

Source: https://fishermensnews.com/commercial-harvest-in-alaska-exceeds-77m-salmon/