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.

Seining way up north

This 2021 Norton Sound salmon season outlook says "there will be an experimental purse seine fishery targeting pink salmon."

Southeast buyback approved

Southeast Alaska salmon purse seiners have voted to permanently retire another 36 permits from the fishery.

So says this brief announcement from the Southeast Alaska Seiners Association.

Another buyback vote for Southeast seiners

A federal notice published yesterday sets up another referendum on further reducing the number of Southeast Alaska purse seine salmon permits.

"The referendum, if approved, will result in a loan of $10.1 million and permanently retire an additional 36 permits from the fishery," the notice says.

The notice lists all the permit holders eligible to vote in the referendum.

The voting period will start Jan. 15 and end on Feb. 14.

Kodiak seiners to get crack at pollock

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game plans to open a Kodiak pollock seine gear test fishery sometime prior to June 9.

The vessel registration deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.

Kodiak pollock seiners?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has called a public meeting for Feb. 26 in Kodiak to discuss a potential walleye pollock seine gear test fishery.

More details in this official announcement.