Commercial Catch of Alaska Salmon Climbs to 9M Fish
Commercial salmon gillnetters, seiners and setnet harvesters delivered upward of 9.2 million salmon to processors through the eve of Independence Day in fisheries from Southeast, Central and Westward regions of Alaska.
Through July 1, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s estimated statewide harvest included 6.8 million sockeyes, 1.9 million chums, 278,000 pinks and 76,000 Chinook salmon.
ADF&G earlier had forecasted harvest of all commercial species of salmon at about 135.7 million fish.
In Bristol Bay, home of the world’s largest run of wild sockeye salmon, ADF&G predicted a total run of 39 million fish and a maximum daily harvest capacity of 2.36 million fish a day, sustainable for about 18 days.
The preseason survey showed that total intended purchases were lower in 2024 than 2022, from 265.17 million pounds in 2022 to 168.91 in 2024. The last time ADF&G conducted the survey was in 2022.
The traditional surge of millions of sockeye salmon converging on Bristol Bay the week of the Fourth of July was preceded by consistent east winds that were blowing the fish away from the district, said Travis Elison, a state fisheries area biologist for the Naknek-Kvichak District.
Elison said the salmon being caught so far this season in Bristol Bay were smaller than in 2023, because the run is dominated by two-ocean fish, while three-ocean fish dominated the 2022 fishery.
More than 1,180 drift gillnetters were registered for the harvest and there are generally also around 900 setnetters, he said.
Harvesters in Bristol Bay’s Nushagak District alone had a catch of 740,000 salmon, almost all sockeyes, on June 30, while harvesters in the Egegik District delivered 69,000 fish to processors and others in the Naknek-Kwichak District brought in 89,000 fish, he said.
The Copper River salmon fishery was tracking close to the forecast, Jeremy Botz, a veteran ADF&G biologist stationed at Cordova, said. Through July 1, the Copper River catch along stood at 890,225 fish including 847,860 sockeyes. Prince William Sound’s catch which reds, 671,478 chums and 8,751 kings.
The Alaska Peninsula catch stood at nearly 2 million fish, including 1.3 million sockeye and Kodiak area harvesters had 297,000 salmon including 245,000 chum and 51,000 reds, according to the ADF&G in-season blue sheet.
