In October, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) released preliminary figures for the 2015 commercial salmon harvest and harvest value.
Alaska fishermen harvested 263.5 million salmon, comprised of 474,000 Chinook salmon, 15.2 million chum salmon, 3.6 million coho salmon, 190.5 million pink salmon, and 54 million sockeye salmon.
This represents the second largest salmon harvest on record, exceeded only by the record harvests of 2013. Pink and sockeye salmon returns were especially strong.
The estimated value of the 2015 commercial salmon harvest was $414 million. Sockeye salmon was the most valuable salmon species, with statewide harvests grossing approximately $198 million.
The statewide value of the pink salmon harvest was second among the salmon species, at $132 million. Chum, Chinook, and coho salmon, respectively, were the next most valuable species.
The valuable salmon fishing area in Alaska in 2015 was Prince William Sound, with an all-species harvest value of $118 million. The Prince William Sound pink salmon harvest was the largest on record at 98.3 million fish.
In addition to $72 million in pink salmon, Prince William Sound sockeye salmon yielded an exvessel value of $35 million. Prince William Sound chum and Chinook salmon followed, with values of $8 million and $2 million, respectively.
Other important salmon fishing areas included Bristol Bay, Southeast Alaska, Norton Sound, Kotzebue, Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, Chignik, Lower Cook Inlet, Upper Cook Inlet, Kuskokwim, and Yukon River.
For additional information see the 2015 Alaska preliminary commercial salmon harvest and exvessel values found on the ADF&G website.
Dollar values provided by ADF&G are based on estimated exvessel prices and do not include post-season bonuses or price adjustments.
The final value of the 2015 salmon fishery will be determined in 2016 after seafood processors, buyers, and direct marketers report the total value paid to fishermen in 2015.
source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Originally published: December 5, 2015
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.