Some stunning surprises with salmon

摘要

Once the final numbers are tallied on this year's Alaska salmon harvest, many in the industry likely will be smiling. Two big factors affected the generally upbeat season: the highest ex-vessel prices seen in years for Bristol Bay sockeye, and an unexpected bounty of Prince William Sound pink salmon. In the words of one satisfied Cordova seiner: "Everybody will be wanting to buy a new truck." That's just what guys do in the good years when commercial fishing drops a lot of money in their pockets. OnAug. 20, the total salmon catch statewide stood at 148 million fish, or 10 million above the state's preseason forecast. Substantial catches of pink, chum, and coho salmon were still ongoing at press time.