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.

Bristol Bay update

The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon catch has surpassed 27 million fish, with big daily hauls still coming in.

Yesterday produced a catch of more than 2.5 million sockeye, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

With fishing that strong, we won't be surprised to see the bay reach or exceed the preseason harvest forecast of 36.7 million.

By district, the Nushugak District leads with nearly 10 million sockeye, with the Egegik District at 8.4 million and the Naknek-Kvichak District at 7.7 million.

We still have no reports on what processors intend to pay for sockeye. We imagine fishermen aren't too pleased about that.

Bristol Bay inventory relief?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a purchase of up to $67.5 million in canned sockeye and sockeye fillets, Alaska's congressional delegation reports.

This appears to be a life ring to the Bristol Bay salmon industry, which reportedly is still working to sell off last year's gargantuan sockeye catch.

Upper Cook Inlet sockeye forecast

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game predicts an "average" run this year.

Copper River forecast is out!

A commercial harvest of 987,000 sockeye salmon is expected this year, according to the forecast from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Bristol Bay forecast is out!

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting a 2023 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon harvest of 36.7 million fish.

That would be a large harvest, though way smaller than last season's record-setting 60.1 million sockeye.

Bristol Bay's super season

This season's commercial harvest of 60.1 million sockeye at Bristol Bay was the largest on record, 36 percent greater than the previous record of 44.3 million set in 1995, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports in this season summary.

The sockeye paid an average ex-vessel price of $1.15 per pound, for a preliminary total harvest value of $351.1 million.

The sockeye remained on the small side at an average weight of 5.1 pounds.

Bristol Bay record!

The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon catch now stands at more than 46.5 million fish.

That smashes the previous record of 44.3 million sockeye harvested in 1995.

Bristol Bay heats up

Bristol Bay fishermen already have taken more than 10 million sockeye, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

A gigantic catch is expected this season, based on the state's preseason forecast.

Another slow start at the Copper River

Monday's 12-hour season opener in the Copper River District produced 12,800 sockeye salmon and 2,700 Chinook, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported.

"This compares to a projected harvest of 20,700 sockeye salmon for this period," the department said.

Driftnetters get another 12-hour crack at the fish beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday.