By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Bristol Bay's famed sockeye salmon run started showing signs of a strong return in mid-June, and by June 29 the bay's harvest surpassed 8 million reds, more than double the return by that date a year ago.

"They started showing up June 16 and they've been coming ever since," said Paul Salomone, a state Department of Fish and Game biologist for the Egegik and Ugashik districts on the east side of the bay.

In two days alone, the harvest at Egegik had seen 1.6 million reds, he said. Forecasts call for total run of 33.8 million reds, with a harvest of 24 million fish.

By June 29, 2008, the total harvest of Bristol Bay sockeyes was 3.6 million fish, state fish and game statistics showed.

A year ago, the bulk of the 29.3 million reds harvested came between June 30 and July 5, but then slowed, leaving most of the processors holding a lot of tin inventory. The forecast had been for a harvest of 31 million reds.

Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle said sales of Bristol Bay reds were going well, at $8.99 a pound for whole fish and $14.99 a pound for fillets. At Tenth and M Seafoods in Anchorage, red salmon went on sale July 1, with whole fish selling for $4.95 a pound and fillets for $7.95 a pound.

The early glut of reds was proving a challenge for processors, some of which reportedly were restricting the harvest quantities they would take in a single delivery. Typically at that point, the processors will send in larger tenders to move the fish out for processing in Kodiak, Sand Point and other places, Salomone said.

Through June 26, when the latest Fish and Game Department statewide salmon harvest totals were tallied, some 2.9 million sockeyes had been harvested in the bay, in addition to 19,000 chinook, and 1 million chum salmon.

Westward region fisheries, including Kodiak, Chignik, the South Peninsula and North Peninsula, had a total harvest of 4,000 kings, 1.5 million sockeye, 1.3 million pink and 630,000 chums.

In Prince William Sound, including the Copper River fishery, harvesters had taken 778,000 reds and 969,000 chums for a total harvest of 1.7 million fish, while Cook Inlet had 2,000 kings and 159,000 red salmon.

Margaret Bauman can be reached at

margie.bauman@alaskajournal.com.