Copper River District sockeye returns too weak to open fishery
After a valiant commercial start that yielded far below the forecast in sockeyes and Chinooks, the Copper River salmon fishery has been closed pending a boost in the sonar count, leaving harvesters wondering when the next opener will come.
PWS silver salmon harvest reaches 475,000
Commercial harvest of silver salmon in Prince William Sound have reached 475,000 fish, edging close to the 2016 catch of 484,000 cohos, but still...
Salmon Update: PWS harvest capped at nearly 56M fish
Commercial harvesters in Prince William Sound caught nearly 56 million salmon in 2019, including 47.4 million humpies, despite climate changes that promoted NOAA Fisheries to note waters were warm or warmer than The Blob years.
Salmon Update: PWS season’s catch nears 56 million fish
Prince William Sound drift gillnetters headed out for a 60-hour harvest period on Monday, Sept. 23, on the heels of a 60-hour period on Sept. 16 that brought in 16,100 coho salmon in 166 deliveries reported.
Humpy catch ends, coho opener wait for rain
“We still haven’t gotten a lot of rain, so we’re tracking behind in escapement and the (coho) commercial harvest is below anticipated,” said Jeremy Botz, gillnet area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Cordova.
Rainfall offers relief as PWS humpy harvest climbs to 46M+
Long sought rain and cooling weather over the past week helped boost the Prince William Sound pink salmon harvest to 46,290,000 fish, and the area’s overall salmon catch to 54,525,000 fish.
Statewide harvest, boosted by the pink catch, rises to nearly 185M fish
“If we start getting rainfall this weekend and if continues for the next couple of weeks for these fish to spawn, we could be okay,” said Charlie Russell, seine area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Cordova.
PWS humpy harvest late, compressed but strong
Commercial harvests of humpies in Prince William Sound rose
to over 34 million fish through Tuesday, Aug. 20, up nearly 12 million fish in
seven days,...
Salmon Harvest Update: Warm weather, drought delay humpy harvest
Unseasonably warm water and drought conditions in streams
are putting a damper on pink salmon harvests in Prince William Sound, where the
year-to-date catch on Tuesday,...
PWS silver harvest reaches 70,000 fish
Silver salmon harvests in Prince William Sound rose to 70,000 fish through Aug. 23, and the humpy harvest reached 12 million fish, boosting the...
