The U.S. state of Alaska has requested millions of dollars in financial relief from the federal government to compensate fishers and related businesses for lost revenue from the state’s struggling salmon fisheries.
In his request for a fishery disaster determination from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said the low salmon runs across the state could be devastating for local fishers and communities who depend on revenue from the fisheries.
“Salmon fuels the economies of the Alaskan Peninsula communities, and the loss of revenue due to the poor 2024 season has been severe for these fishermen,” Dunleavy said. “Residents and businesses of Alaska Peninsula communities are heavily reliant on commercial salmon fisheries to provide household income as opportunities for other sources of income are extremely limited. This loss of income is particularly devastating given the rising costs of food, fuel, and other essentials that have already strained household budgets.”
Dunleavy submitted five separate requests for fishery disaster determinations from the Commerce Department, which, if granted, would allow fishers and businesses impacted by those fishery disasters to receive federal financial compensation. Dunleavy’s requests covered the 2024 Prince William Sound pink and chum salmon fisheries, Lower Cook Inlet pink salmon fishery, Kodiak pink salmon fishery, the Chignik sockeye salmon fishery, and the Alaska Peninsula sockeye and South Alaska pink salmon fisheries.
In the Prince William Sound, fishers experienced an unexpectedly large decrease in pink and chum salmon. The 2024 harvest of 10 million pink salmon was 75 percent below the five-year average, while the harvest of 1.7 million chum salmon was 57 percent below the five-year average. The Alaska state government estimated that, together, the two fisheries resulted in losses of over USD 85 million (EUR 81 million).
The Lower Cook Inlet pink salmon harvest was also lower than usual; fishers landed 8,525 fish, notably below the five-year average of 633,008 fish, with revenue 99 percent lower than the five-year average of USD 762,947 (EUR 726,690).
The Kodiak pink salmon fishery also performed well below average in 2024. The commercial fishery harvested just 7.6 million pink salmon, well below the previous forecast and the 10-year average of 20.4 million fish. While the average annual value of the fishery is USD 22.5 million (EUR 21.4 million), the 2024 harvest value was USD 7.2 million (EUR 6.9 million).
According to Dunleavy, “the early run of Black Lake sockeye salmon to the Chignik River was late and weak,” resulting in a harvest of 271,199 sockeye salmon – 75 percent below the five-year average. The commercial value for the 2024 fishery was just USD 3 million (EUR 2.9 million), 63 percent lower than the five-year average.
Alaska fishers experienced a large decrease in sockeye salmon in all but one section of the Alaska Peninsula; early data pegs the value of the 2024 fishery at USD 12 million (EUR 11 million), 66 percent below the average. That’s the second lowest value for the fishery in 10 years. The pink salmon fishery along the South Alaska Peninsula also suffered, with its annual value of USD 1 million (EUR 952,621) 62 percent lower than the five-year average.
Lost tax revenue from the commercial activity related to these fisheries has also had a major impact on local governments in Alaska.
“Fishery taxes are the primary revenue stream for communities with shore-based processors, and dramatic declines in salmon harvests result in reduced services, further compounding the financial challenges within these communities,” Dunleavy said.
