Alaska’s all-species salmon harvest for 2021 totalled nearly 235 million fish, with more than half of the harvest comprising pink salmon (161.4 million fish), finds the latest annual state-wide salmon run forecast and commercial harvest projection report published by theAlaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G).
Last year’s sockeye catch amounted to 57.1 million fish, while 13.2 million chum, 2.8 million coho and 275,000 Chinook were also caught by commercial fishers.
Most of the 2021 pink salmon harvest occurred in Central and Westward regions, and Bristol Bay continued to be the largest sockeye salmon producing region in Alaska.
ADF&G has also forecast that Alaska will catch a record 74 million sockeye this year, mostly from Bristol Bay, but that the 2022 pink salmon harvest will be substantially smaller than in 2021 at 67.2 million fish.
Commercial harvests of coho and chum salmon are projected to be average at 3.6 million and 15.4 million respectively.
The department also estimates this year’s chinook salmon catch at 310,000 fish.
If realised, the forecasted 2022 total Alaska commercial harvest will be approximately 160.6 million salmon.
