After years of having no season at all, fishermen on the West Coast are expecting a robust salmon catch. Fishery biologists are reporting a big increase in the Pacific salmon population after several lean years when populations plummeted, prompting regulators to cancel or severely restrict chinook fishing off the northern California coast.
According to the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), the Sacramento River is projected to see 729,900 fall chinook return this year, more than double 2010 and triple 2009 returns, and the Klamath River is projected to see 371,100 kings, up from 331,500 in 2009.
The PFMC credits improved ocean conditions for the increased returns.
In early March, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game also announced its projections for the 2011 salmon harvest. The total harvest is expected to reach 203 million fish, up more than 25 percent from last year and the state’s fifth largest catch since 1960.
Pink salmon landings are expected to be the fourth-highest on record, at 133.7 million fish, while sockeye landings are forecasted at 45.1 million and chum at 19.2 million.
At press time, Alaska’s chinook salmon forecast was not yet available and will be released in late March or early April.
Last year, Alaska’s salmon harvest totaled 168.5 million fish.
