Are processors ready for Bristol Bay's biggest year?

The state is forecasting a potential harvest of nearly 60 million sockeye salmon this summer at Bristol Bay.

But processors intend to purchase only 52 million fish, according to a state survey of companies intending to buy sockeye this year.

If that sounds disappointing, consider that Bristol Bay's best harvest ever was 44.3 million sockeye in 1995.

Will Bristol Bay processors be ready for a big run?

The state has posted a summary of this year's Bristol Bay sockeye salmon processing capacity survey.

"Results of this survey indicate the 2018 Bristol Bay total intended purchases of 41.71 million fish is approximately 4.12 million fish (10 percent) higher than the forecast harvest of 37.59 million fish," the state says.

Is Bristol Bay facing a processor crunch?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has surveyed Bristol Bay sockeye processors with the following outcome:

The results of this survey found the 2015 Bristol Bay total intended purchases of 35.5 million fish is approximately 2.1 million fish (6%) lower than the forecast harvest of 37.6 million fish.

Read the full report for a lot more detail.