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.

Bristol Bay comes to life

After an easygoing start, the Bristol Bay salmon fishery is starting to gallop.

Yesterday was the first really big day of the season with a catch of more than 1.6 million sockeye, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

Total catch for the season now stands at nearly 7 million fish.

The forecasted harvest for this year is about 25 million sockeye, so still a ways to go.

A timeout for the Copper River

The Copper River is off to a hot start this season, with the first three fishing periods yielding stronger than expected catches of sockeye salmon.

Now, the fishery is taking a break.

The Copper River District will remain closed on Monday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today. The department didn't say when the fishery might reopen.

The problem appears to be lagging escapement upriver. The cumulative sonar count through Friday was 2,808 fish whereas 44,862 had been projected, the department said.

The cumulative harvest to date in the Copper River District is about 168,000 sockeye and 4,100 Chinook.

Cook Inlet EEZ salmon limits specified

The National Marine Fisheries Service today proposed 2024 catch limits for salmon in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone.

These include a total allowable catch of 492,100 sockeye.

For much more detail, see this notice published in the Federal Register.

An 'average' sockeye run for Upper Cook Inlet

Here's the 2024 forecast.

Here's the Copper River salmon forecast!

This year's commercial harvest is predicted to be nearly 1.3 million sockeye. That's pretty good!

Here's the forecast announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

How many Cook Inlet EEZ salmon?

With the feds poised to take over management of salmon fisheries this year in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone, we're beginning to get a sense of how many salmon will be available for harvest in the area.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is recommending a total allowable catch of nearly 1.3 million sockeye. For more detail, see this SAFE report, particularly Page 60.

This number is very preliminary. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is expected to address the matter at its February meeting in Seattle.

Bristol Bay forecast is out

The state is forecasting a 2024 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon harvest of 25 million fish.

That would be a big drop from this season's catch of 40.6 million sockeye.

Price protest

Bristol Bay radio station KDLG reports the following:

Fishermen are planning to stage a protest in the Naknek River entrance on Thursday, July 20. Organizers say they will anchor from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. across the river entrance to oppose the low price from processors.

Bristol Bay prices take a tumble

Processors have begun posting their prices for Bristol Bay sockeye salmon.

One major company, Peter Pan, provided this statement:

The Peter Pan Seafood price for sockeye is set at $0.50 per pound plus up to $0.30 in quality incentives. Peter Pan is also offering a late season bonus for sockeye. Effective July 18, 2023, there will be a $0.20 per pound late season bonus.

The IntraFish news service reports Trident Seafoods is offering a base price of 50 cents per pound, and another company, North Pacific Seafoods, has matched the price.

A base price of 50 cents represents a tremendous tumble from last year, when Bristol Bay produced a record harvest of more than 60 million sockeye. The average price in 2022 was $1.15 per pound, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says.

All the salmon from last year would appear to have depressed prices this season.

This year's catch currently stands at 33.6 million sockeye.