Alaska’s wild salmon harvest for 2011 stands at just over 170 million fish of all five species, no small accomplishment for the harvesters, but far below the preseason forecast of 203 million fish. The pink salmon harvest alone was predicted to be especially large at nearly 134 million fish, but as of Sept. 9, the preliminary harvest count showed the pink harvest total to be 112,249,000 pinks. The commercial catch of the famed sockeye salmon had been forecast at 45 million fish, but to date stands at 39,893,000 reds.
The Chinook harvest to date stands at 404,000 fish, up from 378,000 kings in 2010.
Commercial harvesters also have netted 15,038,000 chum salmon and 2,590,000 silvers, for a total run of 170,174,000 wild salmon. The robust harvest in the Lower Yukon through Sept. 9 included 495,000 chum, some 69,000 silvers and fewer than one million kings, bringing that run to 575,000 fish.
The salmon harvest in Southeast Alaska has reached 70,373,000 fish, including nearly 58 million pinks, 9,293,000 chums, 1,611,000 silvers, 1,218,000 reds and 283,000 kings. Kodiak harvested nearly 20 million wild salmon, including 16.5 million pinks, 2,218,000 reds, 817,000 chums, 167,000 silvers and 31,000 kings.
The Alaska Peninsula total harvest as of Sept. 9 stood at 9.4 million fish, including 2.8 million reds, 5,116,000 pinks, 1,274,000 chum, 171,000 silvers and 9,000 kings.