Coho and keta salmon harvests in Prince William Sound are soaring, having reached 231% and 211% respectively over the same time a year ago.
Sockeye harvests, meanwhile, were down 61% and humpy harvests were 28% below the same period in 2024.
As of Aug. 26, overall deliveries to processors in Prince William Sound had reached 45.8 million fish, including nearly 40 million pink, 4.6 million keta, 1.2 million sockeye, 107,000 coho, and 5,000 Chinooks.
The largest overall harvest to date has been nearly 35 million salmon, including more than 34 million humpies in the Prince William Sound general seine district. Montague District, the next closest with 1.9 million salmon, had more than 1.8 million keta.
In Anchorage, prices are holding fairly steadily for fresh sockeye fillets at Costco warehouses at $12.99 a pound. Fillets of coho salmon are selling for $13.99 a pound at New Sagaya and 10th & M Seafoods, $10.99 a pound at Fred Meyer, and $12.99 a pound at Carrs-Safeway for store card holders and $18.99 a pound for others.
Statewide deliveries to processors through Aug. 26, compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, totaled nearly 170 million fish – including nearly 100 million pink, 52 million sockeye, 16.6 million keta, 1.4 million coho, and 161,000 Chinooks.
Coho harvests overall are 84% above 2024, having reached 57% of the annual projection, said Simon Marks, who compiles weekly in-season commercial salmon harvest reports for McKinley Research group on behalf of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
Keta harvests have reached 79% of their annual projection. Southeast Alaska harvests represent the largest total volume statewide, although they remain 23% below 2024 harvests, Marks said.
But Prince William Sound is offsetting the 23% decline with its 211% year-over-year increase.
Cook Inlet pink salmon harvests are 84% below 2023. Hatchery releases of pink salmon in Cook Inlet in 2023 were 71% below 2021 hatchery releases. Given the two-year life cycle of pink salmon, this reduction in hatchery releases in 2023 may be a significant factor in the lower harvest volume this year, Marks noted.
