Could Alaska be in line for a smaller salmon harvest this year? Last year, commercial fishermen caught 268 million salmon, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, but scientists are anticipating just 161 million salmon to be harvested this year, a decline of almost 40 percent.
This reduction is mainly due to fewer pink salmon expected to return after a strong year last year. Biologists reckon pinks tend to have a strong year and then follow it up with a weaker harvest.
Of the 161 million returning salmon, 99,000 are expected to be Chinook or king salmon in areas outside Southeast Alaska, 47.7 million are forecast to be sockeye, 4.4 million will be coho, 90.1 million will be pinks and 18.7 million will be chum.
Compared to 2015 commercial harvests, the projected 2016 catch is expected to be down by 100 million pinks and 7.3 million sockeye, while there will be 556,000 more coho and 475,000 more chum.
A depleted catch could see prices climb, which would be welcome after the low prices seen last year. Indeed, the reduced global supply of farmed salmon this year is expected to have a positive effect on Alaska wild salmon prices. However, the U.S. dollar has been strong against some major foreign currencies, which can affect exports.
While the overall salmon forecast is down from last year, it should be remembered that fishermen landed a record catch of more than 1 billion pounds of Alaska salmon last year. The estimated value of the 2015 commercial salmon harvest was USD 414 million (EUR 367 million). Of this, sockeye was most valuable salmon species, with statewide harvests grossing around USD 198 million (EUR 175.5 million).
