Salmon notes

• The Bristol Bay catch now stands at 23.6 million sockeye toward a preseason harvest forecast of 32.3 million.

• Dillingham radio station KDLG has a report on the Northline Seafoods freezer barge and its alliance this season with Silver Bay Seafoods. Listen to it here.

• The Southeast Alaska summer Chinook troll fishery appears to be progressing slowly and will remain open "until further notice," the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said yesterday. "Based on landed catch and reported harvest onboard freezer vessels to date, less than 40,000 of the 83,700 Chinook salmon allocation has been harvested over the first 10 days of the fishery."

• Looking farther south, to Canada, the forecasted run size for Fraser River sockeye is 7.7 million fish, the Pacific Salmon Commission reports.

Significant news from Silver Bay

Silver Bay Seafoods, one of Alaska's largest salmon processors, today provided the following statement from Branson Spiers, chief operating officer:

Silver Bay Seafoods will be buying salmon in all Prince William Sound drift and seine fisheries in 2026, and we will continue to provide fleet services in Cordova. Given the low salmon forecasts in PWS, we've developed an operational plan that prioritizes fishermen opportunity and economics, with processing planned in Valdez and Seward.

We've asked the company for clarification, but presumably this means Silver Bay will not process salmon this season at its plant in Cordova, the main port for the gillnet fleet targeting famed Copper River salmon.

Silver Bay, Trident score USDA contracts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has purchased more than $7 million in canned pink salmon from Silver Bay Seafoods.

The fish is for child nutrition and other domestic food distribution programs.

The USDA also purchased substantial volumes of canned pink salmon and Alaska frozen pollock products from Trident Seafoods Corp., according to this purchase award description.

Salmon notes

• The Southeast Alaska summer troll fishery will see a third opener beginning just after midnight tonight, with about 6,800 treaty Chinook up for grabs. Each troll permit holder will be allocated 18 Chinook for the 10-day fishery.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the purchase of nearly $877,000 in canned pink salmon from Silver Bay Seafoods for the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program.

• British Columbia activists behind a campaign known as Alaska's Dirty Secret are again accusing Southeast Alaska fishermen of intercepting, or "stealing," Canadian salmon. They've posted this video.

Trident, Silver Bay land USDA pollock contracts

Here's the announcement.

Another major announcement from Silver Bay

Silver Bay Seafoods says it will acquire processing plants at Dillingham and Port Moller, adding: "As part of this acquisition, Silver Bay has committed to participating in the working group formed by Rodger May to address the future of the former Peter Pan Seafoods facility in King Cove."

More in this press release.

Silver Bay, APICDA to partner at False Pass

Here's a press release.

A big canned salmon deal

The court-appointed receiver for Peter Pan Seafood is looking to sell the company's canned salmon inventory to Silver Bay Seafoods in a $27.3 million deal.

Silver Bay would use the inventory to help fulfill a U.S. Department of Agriculture contract, according to this motion filed in King County Superior Court.

Silver Bay to acquire Trident's False Pass plant

Here's the press release.

CEOs discuss the salmon situation

National Fisherman has published interviews with the chief executives of three leading Alaska salmon processors.

The CEOs offer their takes on the 2024 season and challenges facing the industry.

Silver Bay Seafoods CEO Cora Campbell

OBI Seafoods CEO John Hanrahan

Trident Seafoods CEO Joe Bundrant

Another problem for Peter Pan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is suing Peter Pan Seafood Co. to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act at processing plants in Valdez and King Cove.

Under a proposed consent decree, Peter Pan and another company, PSF Inc., would pay a civil penalty of $750,000.

The decree lays out requirements to monitor and manage seafood processing waste discharges.

The EPA lawsuit also names Silver Bay Seafoods as a defendant, due to Silver Bay's recent purchase of Peter Pan's Valdez plant.