Despite doomsday predictions from some at the beginning of the year, the 2019 Alaska salmon season brought in USD 657.6 million (EUR 594.88 million) for fishermen, a 10 percent increase from the previous year, according to a season summary released by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The summary is based on preliminary estimates of the harvest value, with final values expected to be published early next year.
This year, sockeye salmon was the most valuable species, accounting for more than half of the state’s dockside harvest value at 64 percent. Sockeye were worth USD 421 million (EUR 380.85 million) and, in terms of volume, accounted for about a quarter of the harvest, with 55.2 million fish.
The overall chinook harvest was the third-smallest since limited entry was introduced in 1975. Only 272,000 fish were caught, bringing USD 14.4 million (EUR 13.03 million) to fishermen.
As a whole, salmon prices fell compared to last year with the exception of sockeye, which rose from USD 1.33 (EUR 1.20) per pound last year to USD 1.45 (EUR 1.31) this year.
The prices for all other species dropped. Chinook sunk from USD 5.98 (EUR 5.41) to USD 4.48 (EUR 4.05), coho from USD 1.34 (EUR 1.21) to USD 1.15 (EUR 1.04), pinks from USD 0.45 (EUR 0.41) to USD 0.40 (EUR 0.31) and chum salmon from USD 0.78 (EUR 0.71) to USD 0.49 (EUR 0.44).
Analysts suggest that the drop in pink prices may have been due to a banner harvest in Russia. The catch there is estimated to be 1.8 billion pounds this year, as opposed to about 872 million pounds in Alaska.
The total catch in Bristol Bay was almost 44.5 million fish, with sockeye accounting for 43 million of them. Bristol Bay broke a record with a value of USD 306.5 million (EUR 277.3 million) this year, compared to 43.5 million fish at USD 281 million (EUR 254.2 million) last season.
In the Southeast, 32.2 million salmon were harvested, with a total value of USD 101.8 million (EUR 92.1 million), down from 21.2 million fish and USD 133.6 million (EUR 120.9 million) last year.
Notable gains were seen in Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. In Kodiak, 35.7 million fish were harvested and were valued at USD 47 million (EUR 42.52 million). On the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands, some 27 million salmon were harvested, 21 million of which were pinks. These were valued at around USD 49 million (EUR 44.33 million) compared to about 6 million fish last year valued at about USD 29 million (EUR 26.24 million) last year.
In other districts, reductions in harvest were seen compared to last year. On the Yukon, 561,644 fish were harvested, about half as many as last year. They were valued at USD 2.5 million (EUR 2.26 million), compared to USD 4.7 million (EUR 4.25 million) last year. In Norton Sound, 381,124 fish were caught, worth USD 2 million (EUR 1.81 million), compared to 540,796 salmon harvested last year valued at USD 4 million (EUR 3.62 million). At Kotzebue, 493,340 fish were harvested, most of which were chums. This number is slightly down from 695,000 fish last year. This season’s catch was valued at just over USD 1.5 million (EUR 1.35 million), also down from USD 2.3 million (EUR 2.08 million) last year.
Average fish weights were mostly down with chinook being the exception. Chinook weight increased from 11.59 pounds last year to 11.84 pounds this year. Sockeye decreased slightly from 5.26 pounds last year to 5.24 pounds this year. Coho was also down from 7.42 pounds to 6.77, as were pinks, down from 3.76 pounds to 3.27, and chum from 8 pounds to 7.07 pounds.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Anne/Shutterstock
