The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC), a regional fishery management organization that oversees international waters in the North Pacific Ocean, has announced that the 2024 salmon catch in the region was the lowest commercial salmon catch since 1988.
NPAFC member countries, which include Canada, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States, reported 528,000 metric tons (MT) of Pacific salmon catch in 2024, marking a 50 percent drop year over year. The catch, according to the RFMO, comprised 285 million fish, marking a 60 percent year-over-year drop, as well as the lowest recorded number in 36 years.
Even-numbered years, like 2024, typically see lower catch totals for pink salmon because the fish has a two-year life cycle; nevertheless, the 2024 catch still trended downward compared to other even-numbered years.
"[The] difference in catch between even and odd years appears to be getting stronger in recent years,” the NPAFC said.
Russia caught the most fish in NPAFC waters last year, comprising 48 percent of the total catch, 251,000 MT. The U.S. caught 42 percent, or 221,000 MT. Japan caught 9 percent, or 50,000 MT, Canada caught 1 percent, or 6,000 MT, and South Korea caught less than 1 percent, or 103 MT.
Pink salmon made up the majority (37 percent) of the catch this year, followed by chum (35 percent) and sockeye (24 percent). Coho comprised only 3 percent of the catch, with Chinook, cherry salmon, and steelhead trout all coming in at less than 1 percent of the catch by weight.
The total North American commercial catch, which includes both Atlantic and Pacific salmon, was 227,227 MT in 2024, an expected decrease from 2023 given the odd and even year patterns, but also the lowest catch since 1976 in terms of weight.
Total sockeye catch was 91,464 MT, marking the first time the number was lower than 100,000 MT since 2013. North American chum salmon catch was also down in 2024 for the first time since 2020 after three years of increasing catches. Pink salmon catch totaled 59,127 MT in 2024, representing the lowest number since 1975.
Hatchery releases of both salmon and steelhead from NPAFC countries were stable in 2024, with approximately 5 billion fish released.
