Alaska
Alaska Salmon Catch Now 5th Largest Since 1975
SeafoodNews.com by Peggy Parker - September 8, 2021
With a cumulative — and still growing — catch of salmon at 216.76 million, 2021 is firmly in fifth place for largest salmon season since 1975. In fourth place is 2005 with 221.22 million.
Pink salmon and to a lesser extent cohos have pushed the numbers up in the past few weeks. A total of 149.5 million pinks have been landed this year so far, more than 20% higher than the predicted catch of 124.2 million pinks. Of that, Prince William Sound has posted catches of 66.3 million from both seine and gill net gear, and Southeast Alaska has landed just over 45 million pinks this year.
That puts SE Alaska’s pink catch by seine gear of 42.8 million, the 14th highest since statehood.
“The majority of the pink salmon harvest was from Southern Southeast with the Ketchikan management area having its estimated 8th highest cumulative pink salmon harvest since statehood …,” ADF&G biologists said in a statement. “Pink salmon average weight was low this season, with an average weight of approximately 2.8 pounds.”
There is an ongoing coho fishery in Prince William Sound for Solomon Gulch Hatchery cohos. The total caught in the PWS/Copper River area to date is 129,000, significantly less than the five year average of 323,000 coho.
Southeast Alaska fleets have landed 1.05 million cohos, more than any other region this year, but also significantly lower than the 1.94 million predicted.
Upper Cook Inlet landed 146,000 coho to date, closing in on the five-year average of 191,000 coho.
The Alaska Peninsula is nearing its forecasted 354,000 coho with landings of 324,000 to date. Total coho landings statewide are 1.97 million pounds, compared to a pre-season forecast of 3.8 million.
Pink salmon and sockeyes made up the bulk of the state’s catch of 216.76 million. Sockeye landings are 54.12 million to date, pinks at 149.5 million, with chum landings at 10.93 million and Chinook at 230,000 landed.
Commercial salmon fishing continues in Kodiak, where several areas are open today through Saturday, Sept. 11, and four additional areas are open until further notice: the Sturgeon, Halibut Bay and Outer Karluk Sections of the Southwest Kodiak District; Central and North Cape Sections of the Northwest Kodiak District; Cape Alitak, Alitak Bay, Moser Bay, and Olga Bay Sections of the Alitak District; and Izhut Bay and Outer Kitoi Bay Sections of the Afognak District.
In the Alaska Peninsula, commercial salmon fishing by set gillnet and seine gear was extended for 48 hours in the Beaver Bay, Balboa Bay, Southwest Stepovak, East Stepovak, and Northwest Stepovak Sections of the Southeastern District from 8:00 p.m. Monday, September 6 until 8:00 p.m. today.
https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1207498/Alaska-Salmon-Catch-Now-5th-Largest-Since-1975
Bering Sea crabbers talk shutdown, facing biomass disaster head on
National Fisherman by Jessica Hathaway - September 7, 2021
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced on Friday, Sept. 3, that the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery would be closed for the 2021-22 season, for the first time in 25 years. The announcement came in advance of the management decision-making process, providing the crab fleet time to make any possible adjustments.
https://www.nationalfisherman.com/alaska/bering-sea-crabbers-talk-shutdown-facing-biomass-disaster-head-on
FYI’s
Coast Guard vessel exams set for Sept. 12-18
The Cordova Times - September 7, 2021
Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez will visit Cordova from Sept. 12-18 to conduct annual commercial fishing vessel dockside examinations on a limited basis.
https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2021/09/07/coast-guard-vessel-exams-set-for-sept-12-18/
Groundfish Subcommittee of the SSC to hold online meeting September 29-30, 2021
Pacific Fishery Management Council - September 8, 2021
The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (Pacific Council) Groundfish Subcommittee of the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold an online meeting to review requested analyses exploring scale uncertainty in the new spiny dogfish stock assessment and rebuilding analyses for copper rockfish and quillback rockfish in California. The online meeting will be held Wednesday, September 29, 2021, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) and Thursday, September 30, 2021, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT.
https://www.savingseafood.org/news/council-actions/groundfish-subcommittee-of-the-ssc-to-hold-online-meeting-september-29-30-2021/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SavingSeafoodRss+%28Saving+Seafood%29
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