adf&g – Page 3 – Fishermens News

2023 Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Forecasts Anticipate Lower Harvest

16Nov

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

2023 Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Forecasts Anticipate Lower Harvest

Early forecasts from the University of Washington Alaska Salmon Program (UW-ASP) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) foresee a 2023 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon harvest of nearly 35 million to 38 million sockeye salmon, compared to the 2022 harvest of 60 million fish. Forecasts differ due to the modeling used by researchers at the two entities. The UW-ASP preseason forecast, based on historical catch and escapement data collected by ADF&G, plus additional stock, plus 38 individual stocks by age class forecasts, is 13% lower than the recent 10-year average of 57 million fish and 4% higher than the recent 20-year average of observed runs of 48 million sockeyes to Bristol Bay. In recent years, the UW-ASP program has increasingly relied on Dynamic Linear Models (DLM) to g...

16Nov

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

2022 Alaska Salmon Harvest Valued at $720M

A preliminary commercial harvest summary recently issued by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game puts the value of 160.7 million salmon caught in 2022 at $720.4 million, compared to the 2021 harvest of 233.8 million salmon harvested. The 31% decrease in the total harvest is explained by the relatively low pink salmon run size in 2022, a consistent trend for even-numbered years over the last decade, ADF&G biologists said in their mid-November report. The 2022 total harvest sockeyes accounted for 66% of the total value of $473.8 million and 47% of the harvest of 74.8 million fish. Chum salmon, numbering 14.9 million, contributed 15% of the overall value at $110.6 million. Coho salmon made up about 2% of the value $15 million and 1% of the harvest at 1.6 million fish, while the...

NPFMC Requests December Review of Crab Fisheries Emergency Rule Request Analysis

19Oct

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

NPFMC Requests December Review of Crab Fisheries Emergency Rule Request Analysis

Federal fisheries managers have requested a December review of National Marine Fisheries Service’s analysis of an emergency rule request to prohibit pelagic trawl, pot and hook-and-line fisheries in the Red King Crab Savings Area and Subarea from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023. Council members said they would review the information in the analysis so that they can make an informed recommendation on the emergency rule request. During its October meeting in Anchorage, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) declined to impose any restrictions on trawl fisheries, as requested by the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC) and others concerned that trawling is having an adverse impact on crab abundance. The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery subsequently was closed for a secon...

24Aug

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Alaska’s Commercial Salmon Harvest Tops 148M Fish

Alaska’s commercial salmon harvests continue to rise for all five species, with all but the coho fishery having peaked. As of Tuesday, Aug. 23, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game documented the preliminary harvest on its online Blue Sheet at nearly 149 million fish, including nearly 74 million sockeyes, 62.5 million pinks, over 11 million chum, 815,000 cohos and 255,000 Chinook salmon. In a single day, the preliminary numbers indicated the catch of more than another 100,000 sockeye, more than two million humpies, nearly 300,000 chums, 58,000 silvers and 6,000 kings. For statistical week 34, following a string of three unseasonably slow harvest weeks, the state’s salmon harvests rose up nearly 18% year-to-date from 2021, according to research analyst Sam Friedman, who compi...

3Aug

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Round 2 CARES Act Fisheries Relief Applications Due By Oct. 31

Applications for Round 2 CARES Act for Alaska fishery participants are available now on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website. They must be filled out and postmarked by Oct. 31 to be eligible for relief funds. The announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game refers to aid being made available to fishermen financially impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which is ongoing more than two years after it began. The relief funds are from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020 in response to the economic fallout of the pandemic. ADF&G officials noted that applicants need to carefully review Alaska’s spend plan, https://relief.psmfc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/A...

27Jul

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Alaska Commercial Salmon Harvests Exceeds 101M Fish

Commercial harvesters delivered some 101 million salmon to processors through Tuesday, July 26, in the 2022 Alaska fisheries, wrapping up a record harvest season. That includes nearly 59 million fish in the Bristol Bay area alone, led by the Nushagak District with over 22 million fish, the Egegik District exceeding 15 million fish, the Naknek-Kvichak District with over 14 million fish and the Ugashik District with nearly six million fish. Retail prices for the Bristol Bay fillets were holding at about $12.95 a pound for fillets in most Alaska retail shops, but prices dropped in the last week of July to about $10.99 a pound, while retail demand remained high. New Sagaya fish counters in Anchorage had fillets of Alaska salmon at $41 a pound with five-pound purchases. Both New Sagay...

Norton Sound Fishermen Harvest 308,623 Pounds of Red King Crab

27Jul

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Norton Sound Fishermen Harvest 308,623 Pounds of Red King Crab

Alaska’s only summer red king crab fishery concluded on Sunday, July 24, with the entire guideline harvest of 308,623 pounds of the succulent crab delivered by Norton Sound small boat fishermen, with retail prices commanding up to $74.95 a pound. Biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said they expected that by that date the quota would be achieved, given the catch rate for the open access fishery which began on June 15. Eight permit holders for the 2022 winter commercial fishery harvested 7,357 pounds of the 27,328-pound guideline harvest level for the winter fishery. The average weight of the king crab caught in the fishery is about 2.8 pounds, according to ADF&G biologists. The total Norton Sound red king crab guideline harvest level is 341,600 pounds, w...

Record Catch of Bristol Bay Sockeyes in High Retail Demand

20Jul

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Record Catch of Bristol Bay Sockeyes in High Retail Demand

Soaring harvests of Bristol Bay’s famed wild sockeyes salmon run leaped by millions of pounds a week in July, as eager consumers were placing individual orders of up to 30 pounds each, while freezer container supplies ran low. Bristol Bay preliminary commercial harvest data posted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game jumped from nearly 47 million to 57 million fish between July 12 and July 19, while the statewide harvest rose from nearly 69 million to 89 million salmon. Fishermen in the Nushagak District alone caught over two million sockeyes that week, bringing their catch total to nearly 23 million salmon, ADF&G data show. The robust harvest vastly exceeded expectations and the availability of freezer containers. Maritime transport company Alaska Marine Lines notified ...

Alaska Salmon Harvest Swells to 68.8 Million Fish

13Jul

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Alaska Salmon Harvest Swells to 68.8 Million Fish

Commercial harvests of salmon in Alaska jumped from 37.6 million to 68.8 million fish in a week’s time, with the catch in Bristol Bay alone swelling from 26.7 million to 46.8 million fish. Processors were keeping up with deliveries from fishing tenders in a very robust harvest. Fisheries economist Sam Friedman, who produces the in-season commercial salmon updates for McKinley Research Group on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, said the week that ended July 9 would likely be the peak salmon harvest of the summer. The Bristol Bay sockeye harvest continues to propel statewide harvest totals, with 21 million reds caught last week alone up 36% from the peak week in 2021. Early data on fish size from Bristol Bay show that sockeyes have averaged about 4.9 pounds per fish...

Commercial Salmon Harvest in Alaska Reaches $16.3M Fish

29Jun

By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments

Fishermen's News Online, News

Commercial Salmon Harvest in Alaska Reaches $16.3M Fish

Commercial salmon harvests in Alaska are off to a robust start, with the central and westward regions of the state leading in harvests, putting the preliminary catch figure at upwards of 16 million fish, according to preliminary reports from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. As of Tuesday, June 28, ADF&G reports showed a catch of 16,324,000 salmon, including 13,231,000 sockeyes, two million chums, over one million humpies, 60,000 Chinooks and 2,000 coho salmon. In Bristol Bay alone, harvesters delivered nearly eight million fish through Monday, June 27, data show, including 7.8 million sockeyes 105,000 chums and one-thousand Chinooks. The largest catch came from the Nushagak District, with 3.5 million sockeyes, 105,000 chums and one thousand kings, followed by Egegik...