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Strong Runs Forecast for Copper River Sockeye, PWS Pink Salmon

29Jan

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Strong Runs Forecast for Copper River Sockeye, PWS Pink Salmon

State fisheries biologists are predicting strong runs of sockeye salmon into the Copper River and wild pink and chum salmon into Prince William Sound for the upcoming 2025 commercial salmon fisheries in Alaska. An Alaska Department of Fish and Game forecast released Jan. 23 estimated the run of wild sockeye salmon into the Copper River fishery, which is scheduled to open in late May, as having a forecast range of 2.2 million to 2.9 million fish, or 55% above the total run 10-year average of 1.6 million fish. The Chinook salmon run into the Copper River, by comparison, is forecast with a range of 25,000 to 51,000 fish, or 25% below the total run 10-year average of 48,000 kings. For the odd-year run of pink salmon into Prince William Sound, biologists forecast a range of 8.5 mil...

Norton Sound Commercial Red King Crab Harvest Set at 410,000 Pounds

8Jan

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Norton Sound Commercial Red King Crab Harvest Set at 410,000 Pounds

Norton Sound commercial harvesters have been allocated a guideline harvest level (GHL) of 410,000 pounds of red king crab for 2025, or 8.99% of the legal male biomass, to include 32,800 pounds for the winter commercial red king crab fishery. A Jan. 2 announcement by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game noted that an additional 30,750 pounds, or 7.5% of the commercial GHL, is allocated to the Community Development Quota (CDQ) fishery. During its December meeting in Anchorage, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted an overfishing level (OFL) of 628,000 pounds, with an acceptable biological catch of 440,000 pounds. The OFL and ABC include both retained and discarded crab. The legal male biomass (LMB) was estimated at 4.56 million pounds. As of Jan. 2, there wer...

ADF&G Releases 2025 Southeast Alaska Chinook Salmon Run Forecast

11Dec

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ADF&G Releases 2025 Southeast Alaska Chinook Salmon Run Forecast

Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials on Dec. 9 announced that Chinook salmon run forecasts for the Taku, Situk, Chilkat, Stikine and Unuk rivers stocks have been completed. These forecasts are germane to “large” fish that are at least 28 inches in total length, and are based on recent brood year age at return and run data along with performance-based hindcasts, the agency said. The Taku River terminal run is forecast to see 40,000 large fish, above the escapement goal range of 19,000 to 36,000 kings. For the Situk River, that total run is forecast for 750 large fish within the escapement goal range of 450 to 1,050 kings. For the Chilkat River, the total run forecast is for 3,000 large fish within the escapement goal range of 1,750 to 3,500 kings. A terminal run o...

Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvest Took a Hit in Size, Value in 2024, Data Show

20Nov

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Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvest Took a Hit in Size, Value in 2024, Data Show

Alaska’s statewide commercial salmon harvest took a dive both in size and value in 2024, and market conditions had a significant impact on pricing, according to the state’s preliminary harvest and other data released Nov. 18 by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The report estimated 101.2 million salmon were harvested in 2024, a drop of 56% from the 2023 total harvest of 232.2 million salmon. The 2023 commercial salmon fishery harvest for all species had a value of about $304 million, compared with $398 million for the 2023 catch. Sockeye salmon made up roughly 68% of the total value at $206.7 million and 42% of the harvest at 42 million fish. Pink salmon made up about 9% of the value at $28.2 million and 40% of the harvest with 40 million fish. Chum salmon contributed 1...

Bristol Bay Red King, Tanner, Snow Crab TACs Set For 2024-25

9Oct

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Bristol Bay Red King, Tanner, Snow Crab TACs Set For 2024-25

Commercial fisheries for Bristol Bay red king crab and Bering Sea tanner crab opened with increased quotas on Oct. 15, and the Bering Sea snow crab season reopened with a total allowable catch of 4.7 million pounds. "After these tough closure years, we're happy to see some of our vessels heading back to the crab grounds and communities participating in these fisheries again,” Jamie Goen, the executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, and a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, said. “We’re feeling cautiously optimistic that the crab stock is starting to recover. But our work isn't done,” Goen said. “It's critical that we keep working for habitat protections, stock rebuilding and the overall tools that the crab resource and crab industry need to build resi...

Statewide Commercial Harvest of Alaska Salmon Reaches 75.5M Fish

14Aug

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Statewide Commercial Harvest of Alaska Salmon Reaches 75.5M Fish

An updated preliminary estimate of Alaska’s 2024 statewide commercial salmon harvest rose from 59.7 million to 75.5 million fish as of Aug. 12, but still lags behind the Alaska Department of Fish and Game forecast of 135.7 million fish by season’s end. ADF&G’s forecast for commercial harvesters had included 69 million pink salmon, 39.5 million sockeye salmon, 24.3 million chum salmon, and 2.6 million coho salmon. To date, the count includes 215,000 Chinook, upward of 12 million chum, 455,000 coho, 22.3 million pink and 40.4 million sockeyes. Through the midpoint of the Alaska commercial salmon season a week ago, Simon Marks of McKinley Research Group, who produces in-season Alaska commercial salmon updates for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, said that about 42% of the...

Preseason Registration Opens for Four Commercial Crab Fisheries

14Aug

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Preseason Registration Opens for Four Commercial Crab Fisheries

Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials on Aug. 9 began preseason vessel registration for 2024-2025 commercial crab fisheries in the Bering Sea in order to determine the number of observers needed to meet fishery coverage goals if these seasons open. Total allowable catches are to be announced by subsequent Fish & Game advisory announcements if its determined that harvests will be allowed for the Bristol Bay red king crab, Eastern Bering Sea Tanner crab, Western Bering Sea Tanner crab and Bering Sea snow crab fisheries, ADF&G officials said. Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers Executive Director Jamie Goen said she’s cautiously optimistic that there will be a commercial king crab fishing season this year. The king crab fisheries were closed in 2021 and 2022 and reopened for 2...

Commercial Salmon Harvest in Alaska Climbs to 59M Fish

31Jul

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Commercial Salmon Harvest in Alaska Climbs to 59M Fish

Alaska’s total statewide commercial salmon harvest stood at 59 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 forecast a 2024 commercial harvest of 135.7 million salmon, including 69.0 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 29, the estimated catch of 59 million salmon statewide ...

Nushagak District Leads Bristol Bay Harvest, Where Overall Catch Reaches Nearly 25M Fish

17Jul

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Nushagak District Leads Bristol Bay Harvest, Where Overall Catch Reaches Nearly 25M Fish

Commercial harvesters in Bristol Bay's Nushagak District have brought in nearly 11 million salmon to date in the 2024 fishery, and with the other bay districts have delivered a total of more than 24 million pounds of salmon to processors. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game notes that the statewide catch estimate for the commercial salmon fishery reached 38.2 million pounds as of July 1, up from 25 million salmon on July 9. It's been a tough season for commercial fishermen in the Naknek-Kvichak district, however. ADF&G biologist Travis Elison, in Dillingham, says the anticipated run forecast of 5.5 million salmon is likely to end up being below two million fish, and what happened to the rest of the forecasted run is unknown. Elison said the last time the Naknek-Kvichak ...

Early Alaska Commercial Salmon Catch Exceeds 1M Fish

19Jun

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Early Alaska Commercial Salmon Catch Exceeds 1M Fish

Estimated commercial harvests in the 2024 statewide Alaska salmon fishery topped one million fish as of Monday, June 17, as two districts in Bristol Bay opened in the wake of Copper River/Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet fisheries. Deliveries are also coming to processors from Cook Inlet, Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula. Prices for the coveted Copper River sockeye fillets are holding their own at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, at $34.99 a pound, and as high as $37.97 at online retailer FishEx in Anchorage. Some retailers meanwhile have begun offering fresh from the ocean Cook Inlet sockeye fillets for $12.99 to $21.99 a pound. In upscale restaurants in Anchorage, gourmet entrees of Copper River reds this week were $49 at Simon & Seafort’s, and $32 at Orso. Al...