State fisheries officials have released their annual statewide salmon run forecast and commercial harvest projection report, which projects a 2022 record sockeye salmon harvest of 74 million fish mostly from Bristol Bay, plus a substantially smaller harvest of pink salmon than occurred in 2021.
Commercial harvests of coho and chum salmon are projected to be average. If realized, according to ADF&G, the forecasted 2022 total Alaska commercial harvest would be some 150.6 million salmon.
Learn more by viewing the 80-page Run Forecasts and Harvest Projections for 2022 Alaska Salmon Fisheries and Review of the 2021 Season.
The report notes that salmon forecasts are inherently uncertain and are primarily used to gauge the general magnitude of expected runs and set early-season harvest management strategy. In 2022, state fisheries managers will continue to manage Prince William Sound and Copper River Area commercial salmon fisheries in-season based primarily on the strength of salmon abundance indices including sonar counts, weir passage, aerial escapement surveys, and fishery performance data.
