7.) More bad news for Alaska salmon season
When the Alaska Department of Fish and Game released their projections for the current season in mid-March 2017, buyers were concerned that low supply and higher prices for Alaska salmon would make this year a tough sell. The total ockeye salmon catch was expected to drop from more than 52.8 million fish in 2016 to nearly 40.9 million fish in 2017, and king salmon was projected to dip from 401,000 harvested in 2016 to a projected 80,000 fish in 2017.
“Last year, the total run for Bristol Bay was the second highest out of the last 20 years. When you are having the second-best season in 20 years, you can’t do that every year. It is natural variability,” Tim Sands, Nushagak and Togiak manager for ADFG’s Commercial Fisheries Division, told SeafoodSource. “The forecast for this year is still above average: the average [commercial harvest] is 31.5 million fish.”
Updated harvest numbers as of 19 July share a far more promising outlook. Read up on how far Alaska salmon season has progressed in 2017 by clicking the link above.
