Looking ahead to 2027 in Bristol Bay

University researchers have issued a preliminary harvest forecast of 28.6 million sockeye next year at Bristol Bay.

That would approach this season's respectable catch of 29.8 million sockeye.

Bristol Bay builds steam

We're now seeing substantial harvest numbers at Bristol Bay, scene of Alaska's richest commercial salmon fishery.

As of this moment, the cumulative catch stands at nearly 11.4 million sockeye. The state forecast calls for a potential harvest of 32.3 million this season.

The Nushagak District on the west side of Bristol Bay is leading the catch with 4.3 million sockeye so far, followed by the eastside Egegik District with 3.6 million.

Fishing effort was concentrated in the Nushagak District with 475 vessels and 673 permits registered there, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said yesterday.

Daily catches baywide have been strong in recent days, well above 1 million fish, providing a steady stream of deliveries to processors. The biggest day was June 28 with 1.8 million fish.

Copper River gets it started

Alaska's new salmon season kicked off Friday with a 12-hour commercial driftnet opener in the Copper River District.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported a harvest of 967 Chinook salmon and 39,000 sockeye.

That compares to 1,090 Chinook and 28,128 sockeye in the first opener last year.

The department has set another 12-hour opener for Tuesday in the Copper River District.

Silver Bay announces its Bristol Bay starting price

Deckboss found the following "Bristol Bay Fleet Update" floating around on Facebook, and a Silver Bay Seafoods spokesperson verified it.

Bristol Bay Fleet Update

Dear Bristol Bay Fishermen,

Silver Bay Seafoods is pleased to announce the 2026 pre-season price of $1.60/lb for qualifying (chilled, floated, bled) sockeye. This is $.30/lb more than last year's pre-season price and is considered a conservative starting price for the 2026 season.

Please hold the date for pre-season fishermen meetings. Silver Bay Seafoods Management, Board Members, and Fishermen Committee Members will be joining these meetings to talk about company business, market updates, and 2026 fleet operations and support.

Preseason meeting dates:

• Naknek: June 13

• Egegik: June 14

• Dillingham: June 19

Stay tuned for more preseason info. See you soon!

The new salmon season comes in sight!

The famed Copper River salmon fishery will open at 7 a.m. May 22 for a 12-hour period, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today.

The commercial harvest forecast for this year is 728,000 sockeye, which is on par with the 10-year average of 733,000, the department said.

Sockeye and king salmon from the Copper River are a highly anticipated culinary treat each year, with the start of the fishery serving as the kickoff to a new Alaska salmon season.

Here's your Copper River salmon forecast

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game predicts an uninspiring commercial harvest this year of 728,000 sockeye.

Copper River shortfall

The Copper River District saw a commercial sockeye salmon harvest of about 840,000 fish this year, less than half the preseason forecast of 1.92 million.

Lots more numbers in this Prince William Sound salmon season summary.

Impressive numbers for Cook Inlet

The season summary for this year's Upper Cook Inlet commercial salmon fishery shows some unexpectedly strong results.

• The sockeye run of 12.1 million fish was 74 percent greater than forecast.

• The commercial harvest of 3.7 million sockeye was 60 percent above the 20-year average of 2.3 million.

• At an estimated average price of $1.73 per pound, the total ex-vessel value for the sockeye harvest was $35.8 million.

One more note: The king salmon harvest of 128 fish was the lowest on record.

Bristol Bay's incredible staying power

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released its summary of the 2025 Bristol Bay salmon season, and the numbers are once again impressive.

• This is the 11th year in a row that the total inshore sockeye run exceeded 50 million fish.

• The commercial harvest of 41.2 million sockeye was 18 percent above the preseason forecast.

• Sockeye remained on the small side this season, averaging 5.05 pounds. But that's a big improvement over last season's 4.53 pounds, the smallest average weight on record.

• The sockeye paid a preliminary average ex-vessel price of $1.03 a pound for a total sockeye fishery value of $214.3 million. The average price last year was 89 cents a pound.

Bristol Bay's big year

The Bristol Bay sockeye harvest has clicked over 40 million fish.

That's an impressive tally, well above the state's preseason forecast of 34.8 million sockeye and last year's harvest of 31.7 million.

The biggest harvest ever at Bristol Bay was 60.5 million sockeye in 2022.

Bristol Bay heats up

As of this moment, the commercial catch in Bristol Bay, scene of the state's flagship salmon fishery, exceeds 12 million sockeye.

The last two days each saw a catch of about 2.4 million fish. The bay's Nushagak District, over by Dillingham, is the hot spot with a catch of nearly 7 million thus far.

The fishery typically peaks around the Fourth of July.

The state has forecast a potential season catch of nearly 35 million sockeye.

You can track the fishery's progress here.

A big boost for Cook Inlet EEZ sockeye

The National Marine Fisheries Service has published a total allowable catch of 800,126 sockeye for this year's Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone salmon fishery.

That's well above last year's TAC of 492,100 sockeye.

This will be the second season fishing in the EEZ will operate under federal management, not state.

New salmon season in sight!

The famed Copper River fishery, generally regarded as the annual kickoff to a new Alaska salmon season, will open at 7 a.m. May 22 for a 12-hour period, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this advisory announcement.

The sockeye outlook is bright with the state forecasting a commercial harvest of 1.92 million fish, more than twice the 10-year average of 824,000.

As usual, Chinook salmon conservation measures are expected to constrain the fishery somewhat.

Limit set for Cook Inlet EEZ sockeye

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is recommending a total allowable catch of 800,126 sockeye this year in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone.

That's well above last year's TAC of 492,100 sockeye, which seems to make sense with forecasters calling for an excellent Cook Inlet sockeye run this year.

Bright outlook for Cook Inlet sockeye

The state is forecasting an "excellent" sockeye salmon run of 6.93 million fish this year for Upper Cook Inlet.

Last year, the commercial harvest of Upper Cook Inlet sockeye was 1.87 million fish on a run of 6.64 million.

Lots more number in this advisory announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Big sockeye catch predicted at Copper River

The state is forecasting a terrific harvest of 1.92 million sockeye salmon this year at the Copper River.

A second Bristol Bay forecast

The University of Washington's 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon forecast projects a harvest of 37.8 million fish.

That compares to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game forecast of 34.8 million fish.

A bigger Bristol Bay catch expected next year

The state has released its 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon forecast, which predicts a harvest of 34.8 million fish.

That would surpass the 31.6 million sockeye taken this past season.

Another big Bristol Bay sockeye harvest in 2025?

A preliminary forecast from the University of Washington projects a harvest of 32.4 million sockeye next year in Bristol Bay.

That would slightly top this year's solid harvest, which is all but finished.

Cook Inlet EEZ closes

Commercial fishing for salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone closes for the year at 7 p.m. today, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced.

This was the first season for a separate, federal fishery in the EEZ — a result of ongoing court battles over Cook Inlet salmon management.

It appears the salmon harvest has been modest in the EEZ. The latest tally shows a catch of 323,680 sockeye, or 66 percent of the quota.