After record pink haul in 2013, more normal year projected for 2014 (Fish Radio)
SEAFOOD.COM NEWS April 10, 2014
Alaska’s total salmon catch for this year is projected to be down by almost half of the 2013 haul. State fishery managers are calling for an all species harvest of just under 133 million salmon, down about 47% from last year’s record haul of 283 million fish. Pink salmon drove the record last year and it’s pinks that will bring down the numbers. This year the pink catch is pegged at about 75 million, a 67% decrease from last summer’s take of 226 million humpies. Other projected catches call for a 14% bump up in sockeyes to nearly 34 million; 4.4 million coho salmon, and nearly 20 million chums. A total catch of 79-thousand Chinook salmon is projected in areas outside of Southeast and Bristol Bay.
Some highlights of the 2013 season show that a record pink harvest gave Southeast Alaska its largest salmon haul – 112 million -- since 1962. A dockside value of $238 million was the highest since 1985.
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