The total 2018 salmon catch in the Pacific Ocean by North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission member countries including Canada, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the United States was more than one million metric tons, or 651.3 million fish, the commission announced during its 27th annual meeting.
Russia accounted for 63 percent of the total catch, the United States for 27 percent, Japan for 9 percent, Canada for 1 percent, and South Korea for less than 1 percent. Catches by Japan and South Korea were the highest they have been since 2010.
Although the salmon fishery has declined in the past 19 years, the catch is still near all-time high levels, with last year’s catch being the highest ever for an even-numbered year.
Pink salmon made up 55 percent of the total commercial catch by weight, followed by chum salmon and sockeye salmon, which made up 26 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Coho made up 2 percent of the catch and Chinook salmon, cherry salmon, and steelhead trout all made up less than 1 percent of the total catch. The pink salmon harvest last year was the largest on record.
Due to a relatively low catch (71,300 metric tons) of pink salmon, the total catch of salmon in North America was the lowest it has been since 1978.
Hatcheries have contributed significantly to fisheries on both sides of the Pacific with 2,147 million fish being released in the United States, 1,648 million released in Japan, 842 million released in Russia, 262 million released in Canada, and 11 million released in Korea.
The majority of hatchery releases were chum salmon (59 percent), followed by pink salmon (29 percent), chinook salmon (5 percent), sockeye salmon (4 percent), and coho salmon (2 percent). Less than 1 percent were steelhead trout and cherry salmon.
