A gruesome year for Prince William Sound seiners

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today released its summary of the Prince William Sound salmon season, and many of the results are ugly.

"The 2024 season marked the worst pink salmon harvest since 1993 and the second-worst since the late 1970s when PWS hatcheries were established," the department said.

Total pink salmon harvest was 9.95 million fish, including a commercial catch of 5.07 million and 4.88 million taken for hatchery cost recovery and broodstock.

Hatchery pink salmon run failures punished purse seiners. Average permit earnings were $42,500 compared to a 10-year average of $203,000.

The 205 seine permit holders reporting at least one delivery was the lowest number since 2011.

"The last delivery was reported on Aug. 15, at least two weeks earlier than expected," the department said.