Alaska’s total statewide commercial salmon harvest stood at 55.5 million fish as the fishery began winding down at the end of July, but the jury was still out on how the chum and coho harvests in August would boost the overall 2024 catch.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists in April had forecast a 2024 commercial harvest of 135.7 million salmon, including 69 million pink salmon, 39.5 million sockeye salmon, 24.3 million chum salmon and 2.6 million coho salmon.
As of July 23, the latest estimated ADF&G harvest calculation showed the harvest at 36% of the projected harvest and industry insiders said they were waiting to see what the final harvest of pink and chum salmon in Prince William Sound would be.
As of July 26, the estimated catch of 55.5 million salmon statewide included 38.8 sockeyes, 9 million chum, 7.4 million pink, 199,000 chinook and 149,000 coho salmon.
The state’s central region, which includes Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet had the largest overall catch, a total of 42.3 million salmon, including 3.1 million sockeye, 5 million pink, 1.7 million chum, 9,000 coho and 8,000 Chinook.
Bristol Bay’s Nushagak District alone brought in over 12 million salmon, mostly sockeye, with the Naknek Kvichak District contributing 9.1 million salmon and the Egegik District 5.1 million reds.
In Southeast Alaska, the 8.6 million commercially caught salmon delivered to processors included 6.3 million chum, 1.9 million pink, 249,000 sockeye, 182,000 Chinook and 79,000 coho.
In the Westward region, including the Kodiak area and Alaska Peninsula and Chignik, processors received 4.6 million fish, including over 3 million sockeye, 954,000 chum, 745,000 pink, 73,000 coho and 10,000 Chinooks.
In the Alaska Peninsula, harvesters caught 3.3 million fish, including 2.3 million sockeye, 515,000 chum, 439,000 pink, 45,000 coho and 7,000 kings, while in Kodiak, the catch was 1.2 million fish, including 581,000 red salmon, 413,000 chum, 6,000 coho and 1,000 Chinook.
Processors in Chignik saw deliveries of 326,000 salmon, of which 179,000 were reds, plus 97,000 pink, 26,000 chum, 22,000 coho and 2,000 kings.
Consumers were still seeing a wide range of prices on the fresh fillets of wild Alaska sockeyes, from $19.98 a pound at Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle to $12.95 a pound at 10th & M Seafoods in Anchorage. Costco sold out of its Alaska sockeye fillets priced at $10.99 a pound.
Meanwhile, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association Executive Director Lilani Dunn and Executive Director Christa Hoover of the Copper River/ Prince William Sound Marketing Association have been collaborating on marketing the 2024 commercial catch of wild Alaska salmon, working with retailers and on social media to increase knowledge of their two fisheries.
The campaign posted on the BBRSDA website that the entity’s taste wild sockeye campaign remained focused on the fact that “frozen is fresh,” as well as the nutrition, availability, ease of cooking and delicious flavor of the fish.
“We are thrilled to join forces with another regional marketing group to inform and celebrate the exceptional qualities of wild Alaska salmon,” Hoover said.
“With both regions’ fishing seasons, U.S. consumers, retailers, and restaurants have a wonderful opportunity to savor fresh Wild Alaska Salmon from early May through the summer months,” Dunn said.
Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie@maritimepublishing.com