Many Southeast Alaska salmon runs expected to be fairly good this year

Petersburg’s South Harbor astatine nan opening of nan summer, 2024 (Photo: Hannah Flor/KFSK)

As commercialized salmon sportfishing gets nether measurement successful Southeast Alaska, projections for salmon returns are up. Troy Thynes is nan location finfish coordinator for nan Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He said arsenic pinch immoderate forecast, this 1 is only bully until nan food commencement returning.

“Last year, pinch that 19 cardinal forecast successful nan mediocre category, we ended up pinch a harvest of astir 48 cardinal pinkish salmon. So needless to opportunity nan forecast was a small off,” he said. 

The purse seine fishery brings successful nan largest salmon harvest successful nan region because it’s chiefly a pinkish and chum salmon fishery. Pinks are nan astir galore salmon type successful Southeast. The pre-season forecast is for 19.2 cardinal fish. That’s conscionable a small supra past year’s harvest estimate of 19 million, but good nether half of nan existent harvest of 48 cardinal fish.

Thynes said nan seine pinkish salmon harvest astir apt could person been moreover higher past year, but marketplace conditions sewage successful nan way. Processors dropped pinkish and chum salmon prices, and past discontinue buying early, saying nan world salmon marketplace was flooded.

Last twelvemonth astir 210 boats participated successful nan Southeast purse seine fishery, but Thynes said he expects less boats this twelvemonth fixed that nan forecast for pinks is little than past year’s existent returns. Pink salmon mostly return to their location streams aft 1 twelvemonth successful saltwater. That intends location are 2 chopped runs of pinks – overseas year, and moreover twelvemonth runs. Even twelvemonth runs  nutrient smaller returns. 

“And past again, pinch a little first starting prices, arsenic acold arsenic value per lb goes, I would expect to spot little effort than what we saw past year. You know, possibly arsenic overmuch arsenic 200 boats, but perchance less,” he said.

Processors successful Petersburg declined to remark connected starting salmon prices this summer.

Most chum salmon successful nan region are hatchery-produced. Purse seining opened June 16 for immoderate hatchery areas for illustration Hidden Falls and Anita Bay, arsenic good arsenic Point Augusta Index area. Gillnetters targeting those areas besides started sportfishing connected June 16.

“I deliberation wide that hatcheries are mostly expecting a bully chum salmon return, truthful early indications are successful nan fewer areas wherever there’s been immoderate chum salmon caught already, it’s really looking beautiful decent,” he said.

Thynes said truthful far, harvests of hatchery chum show numbers are up astir Southeast. He said this harvest could beryllium 1 of nan champion fishermen person seen successful years.

The chaotic sockeye harvest for nan Stikine River adjacent Wrangell is expected to beryllium somewhat supra average, astatine 130,000 fish. Returns for nan Taku River adjacent Juneau are expected to beryllium better, astatine 200,000 fish.

Managers are expecting supra mean sockeye runs for nan Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers adjacent Haines.

Coho salmon are difficult to forecast, because nan food walk varying amounts of clip successful caller h2o earlier heading to nan ocean. But Thynes said that since some pinks and coho walk conscionable 1 twelvemonth successful saltwater, coho and pinks thin to inclination together.

“They’re seeing nan akin marine environment, truthful if nan water is very productive for that 1 twelvemonth they’re gonna do really well, truthful if it’s very poor, they’re gonna do poorly,” he said. 

The summertime Chinook, aliases king salmon, troll fishery starts July 1. Thynes doesn’t person projections for nan fishery, but he said he hopes king salmon numbers will beryllium successful statement pinch different salmon returns.

The outpouring troll play is unfastened done nan extremity of June. Thynes said this twelvemonth is simply a small slower than past years arsenic nan hatchery kings look to person shown up a small later than normal, and perchance successful little numbers than expected. But king salmon landings for nan wintertime troll fishery came successful astatine complete 40 1000 fish. Thynes said that’s higher than he’s seen successful astatine slightest 5 years.

Thynes said he suspects wide salmon projections are up this twelvemonth because much food are surviving while they’re successful saltwater. He said that’s astir apt owed to a assortment of factors.