Tag Archives: Copper River sockeye
With coronavirus pandemic procedures in place, Copper River salmon season ready to open
Hundreds of vessels and workers flood into Prince William Sound each May for a chance to harvest the first fresh wild king salmon of the year, followed by the famous Copper River sockeye and the broader Prince William Sound pink salmon fisheries. However, with limited road access and health care facilities, city and state officials have been coordinating with the fleet and stakeholders about how to safely allow in deckhands, captains, and processing workers from Outside without inviting the pandemic to Cordova as well. “Fishermen are very concerned and have been concerned since day one,” said Francis Leach, the executive director of the United Fishermen of Alaska. “Now that procedures have been put in place, there are a lot of questions. It’s always a learning curve. Folks are really going to have to pay attention to (the mandate).” >click to read< 14:36
Coronavirus: Fishing community takes precautions as it readies for salmon season
“We know the fish are coming regardless of COVID-19 or not and we can’t ask them to stay home.” Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink made the comment during a March 30 press briefing, adding that the state has a specific fisheries work group trying to figure out ways small communities can handle an influx of fishermen and processing workers while also adhering to important health guidelines that run counter to the realities of a traditional fishing season. While Alaska’s diverse fisheries continue year-round, the famed Copper River sockeye and king fishery that unofficially kicks off the salmon harvest in mid-May each year will be one of the first testing grounds for trying to find that balance. >click to read< 16:51
Copper River salmon harvest flows into marketplace
Since the Copper River salmon commercial fishery opened on May 16, harvesters have brought in upwards of 180,000 fish. Preliminary data compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s office in Cordova as of Tuesday, May 28, put the count at upwards of 168,336 red, 7,041 king and 4,710 chum salmon brought in during a total of 1,764 deliveries by the drift gillnet fleet.,,, Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle had whole Copper River kings for $39.95 a pound, Copper River king fillets for $49.99 a pound, Copper River sockeyes at $99.95 per fish and Copper River sockeye fillets for $29.99 a pound. >click to read<17:30
Copper River crash will cost commercial fishermen millions
Copper River sockeye fishermen are facing historic low returns this year, prompting some commercial fisherman to target other species elsewhere in Prince William Sound, and leaving others waiting onshore in what is usually a profitable fishery to the tune of $15 million or more in ex-vessel value. Through mid-June, the commercial Copper River District drift gillnet fishery had landed just less than 26,000 sockeye salmon and a little more than 7,000 kings during three mid-May fishing periods. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game had expected a harvest this summer of nearly 1 million sockeye in the district, and about 13,000 kings. As the harvest stands now, it’s the second-lowest in the past 50 years. >click to read<16:21
Copper River sockeye run likely to fall well below forecast
The Copper River commercial sockeye fishery is likely to fall below forecast for the second year in a row. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed one of the fishery’s 12-hour openings last week due to low escapement and abysmal harvest levels. That trend continued this week with a slow fishing period on Monday, and the department announced Wednesday that it’s closing the fishery on Thursday for the second week in a row. >click to read<07:40
Alaska – Early salmon catches underweight – “We’ve seen small fish before, But nothing like this.”
Workers statewide from offices of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or ADFG, are just beginning to notice an early in-season trend of smaller-than-average fish. Throughout the state’s early season salmon fisheries, particularly sockeye and chum, fish are coming in shorter and lighter for their age. “It’s still pretty early in the game,” said ADFG fisheries scientist Eric Volk. “That being said, fish are a little bit smaller than they usually are. It may not be a pattern this early, but we have seen declines in size-at-age.” Even seasoned fishermen are puzzled. Read the rest here 15:23
Copper River sockeye harvest jumps to 837,000 fish
Some 843,000 sockeyes and 7,200 king salmon have been harvested to date in the Copper River District and a 36-hour commercial opener was under way June 17, on the heels of an abundant catch this past week. For the 36-hour commercial opener that began June 13, the preliminary harvest estimate was 1,000 Chinook and 137,000 sockeye salmon, with an estimated 746 deliveries reported. This compared to an anticipated harvest of 47,000 reds and 500 kings for this period. continued@cordobatimes
