Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game has forecast 213.2 million salmon to be harvested this year, nearly 100 million more than last year’s catch of 116 million fish.
The increases are expected to be seen mostly with pink and chum salmon. Odd-year pink salmon returns are generally higher than returns during even years. 2019 is expected to see 137.8 million pinks returning, almost 100 million more fish than in 2018.
Department officials predict 112,000 Chinook salmon outside Southeast Alaska, just over 41 million sockeye salmon, 4.6 million coho, 137.8 million pink salmon, and 29 million chum salmon.
Alaska’s famous Copper River sockeye salmon season is set to begin next month, with a harvest of 955,000 pounds of fish. The run has struggled in recent years with the department shutting down commercial fishing on the river during the 2017 season due to weak salmon runs.
Just over 40 million sockeye are expected to return to Bristol Bay this year. This number is 16 percent larger than the long-term average, taken over the past 55 years of 34.2 million. However, it’s 10 percent smaller than the average of the last 10 years.
Although the department predicted a weaker than usual season for pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, higher than average harvests are projected in Prince William Sound. Whereas the estimate for pink salmon harvest in Southeast Alaska is 18 million, almost 11 million wild pinks and 22 million hatchery pinks are forecast to be harvested in Prince William Sound. Several million more are expected to come from the Valdez Fisheries Development Association.
If the numbers hold, the season would be Alaska’s best commercial harvest on record.
