Salmon reared and released by the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. (PWSAC) may represent 30 percent of Alaska's total salmon catch this year, according to a report the Cordova, Alaska, organization, released this week.
The PWSAC operates four salmon hatcheries along Prince William Sound and one on the Copper River, producing salmon fry and smolt for release into Pacific waters to supplement the wild fish population.
In the report, the organization estimated that 188 million pounds of PWSAC-produced pink salmon were harvested in Prince William Sound this year, which may end up accounting for one-quarter of Alaska's total salmon catch and more than half of the state's pink salmon catch.
As for Prince William Sound's common property salmon fisheries, PWSAC-produced salmon represented more than three-quarters of the region's total pink salmon harvest, by volume.
PWSAC added that it has contributed USD 196 million worth of salmon to Alaska's common property fisheries since 2007 and USD 403 million since 1990.
