Wild sockeye salmon harvests in Bristol Bay hit 15.3 million fish through July 4 and just keep on growing, with a cumulative escapement of 4.7 million fish, for a total run through Independence Day of 20.4 million fish. That broke down to a total run of 8.5 million fish into the Naknek-Kvichak, 5,073,754 fish into the Nushagak district, 4.8 million into the Egegik district, 1.9 million into the Ugashik district, and 136,837 into the Togiak district.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists say the preliminary harvest figures for July 4 alone show was 1.6 million fish, with the number of sockeye per drift delivery averaging 816,000 reds in the Naknek-Kvichak district, 758,000 in the Ugashik district, 561,000 in Egegik, 434,000 in the Nushagak and 395,000 in the Togiak district. On July 4 alone, the catch was 850,000 reds for the Naknek-Kvichak, 364,000 in the Nushagak district, 186,000 in Egegik district, 152,000 in the Ugashik district and 38,000 in Togiak district.
Through July 5, the vessel registration put 492 boats into the Naknek-Kvichak district, 374 boats into the Nushagak district, 232 boats into the Egegik district, 175 boats into the Ugashik district and 52 into the Togiak district. Those numbers were set to change on July 7, with 563 vessels registered to fish the Naknek-Kvichak, 374 vessels for the Nushgak, 232 vessels into Egegik, 190 vessels into the Ugahsik and 52 remaining in the Togiak district.
Overall it’s been a wet and dreary summer in most cases for Bristol Bay, with plenty of wind and wave conditions that state biologists described as pretty nasty.
The forecast for Bristol Bay is for a total run of some 38.5 million fish, with a harvest of 28.5 million reds.