Alaska fishery way up, BC way down. Coincidence?

[Barbender]

2008 Alaska salmon season tops $409 million
IntraFish Media
Published - November 17. 2008
Fishermen in Alaska harvested 146 million salmon in 2008, the 16th largest harvest since Alaska became a state 49 years ago. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said Friday when it released estimates of this year's Alaska salmon catch.
The 2008 harvest was 67 million fish fewer than the 2007 harvest of 213 million fish, 13.5 million fish above the preseason forecast of 132.5 million fish, and 27.3 million fish below the most recent 10 year average (2007-1998) commercial harvest of 173 million salmon.
At $409.3 million (€323 million), the value of the 2008 catch is higher than the most recent 10-year average (2007-1998) of $289 million (€228 million), and only $7.4 million (€5.8 million) less than fishermen earned in 2007, marking the second consecutive year since 1995 that the total value has exceeded $400 million (€316 million).
Preliminary 2008 prices are showing increased value for king, coho, pink, and chum salmon compared to the final 2007 prices. Only the preliminary sockeye salmon price in 2008 is slightly below that for 2007.
Chinook salmon prices increased from $3.07 (€2.42) per pound in 2007 to $4.28 (€3.38) per pound in 2008, while coho salmon prices increased from $0.96 (€0.75) per pound in 2007 to $1.21 per (€0.95) pound in 2008. Chum salmon prices increased from $0.34 (€0.26) per pound in 2007 to $0.53 (€0.41) per pound in 2008, and pink salmon prices were up by $0.10 (€0.07) per pound at $0.29 (€0.22) in 2008.
The preliminary statewide average price for sockeye salmon is $0.78 (€0.61) per pound, 2 cents less than last year. Final 2008 prices for all salmon species may be higher after any post-season adjustments and end-of-season bonuses are paid to fisherman.
Bristol Bay’s sockeye salmon harvest of 27.7 million fish was the 11th largest since 1893. The ex-vessel value of $111.3 million (€87.7 million) was slightly lower than the 2007 Bristol Bay value of $115.7 million (€90.8 million).
The statewide pink salmon harvest of 84 million fish is well below the all time record-setting harvest of 161 million fish in 2005 and the most recent 30-year historical average (1978-2007) of 91.1 million fish.
The statewide chum salmon harvest of 18.2 million fish ranks as the seventh best of all time in numbers of fish and the ex-vessel value of $78.8 million (€62.4 million) captures the second highest ranking since statehood.

 

[The Fish Assassin]

They get the first crack at our fish when they come into alaskan waters. I remember reading a report about 10 yrs ago where Alaskans caught I think 68% of the TAC of Frazer river fish!

Take only what you need.

 

[Barbender]

What struck me was that they caught 161 million pinks in 2005. Was that not the same year that numbers here in BC also dropped so drastically? I did not see the report you are talking about but I will look it up, that would be terrible if they were intercepting so many of our fish headed to the Fraser.

 

[fisher69]

barbender;

No doubt the boys from the north intercept a fair bit of our salmon. The other factor is the amount of money that is put into the hatchery program. I was outside Prince William Sound this year and had a chance to tour one of the main egg producing hatcheries. I was shocked at how cheap it was to operate, the amount of fish they produced and how easy it was to rebuild the streams with a little cash and incentive. DFO would be wise in going up there and getting educated.

 

[cuttlefish]

I agree, a large protion of the statewide Alaskan pink harvest is driven by hatchery production.

You can find the Canadian commercial harvest numbers from DFO's website; http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sa/Commercial/AnnSumm_e.htm
Click on the year, then click on "salmon by district in piece" on the menu bar at the bottom

Here's the breakdown on Canadian commercial pink harvests;
YEAR; TOTAL COASTWIDE PINK CATCH
1996; 5,905,234
1997; 6,494,223
1998; 2,408,540
1999; 6,105,149
2000; 4,430,458
2001; 6,126,831
2002; 5,309,902
2003; 10,336,477
2004; 2,337,844
2005; 7,025,764
2006; 754,509
2007; 6,207,395
2008; 332,528

For pink harvests, 2005 was the second highest on record, 2006 was the second lowest.

 

[Barbender]

Thanks Cuttle that is good info. They caught 81 million fish in 2008 we caught just over 300 000. Yikes. Fisher your right about the investment they have made into hatcheries and stream rehabilitation. Hopefully we will wake up and do the same.

 

[cuttlefish]

Oops, my mistake, Barbender. The grand total 2008 Canadian commercial pink harvest was actually 196,845 pieces and not 332,528. I mistakenly posted the 2008 grand total in kilograms earlier. Yikes indeed! But let's remember that these number are for catch, not escapement and 2008 had very limited commercial harvest opportunities for Canadians.

Another thing to remember is that for years Canada and the US have managed interceptions of each other's chinook, coho, pink and sockeye through the Pacific Salmon Treaty. At one time the agreement included a section allowing for the harvest of Alaskan bound pink stocks at the A-B line by Canadians to partly offset Alaskan interceptions elsewhere of Canadian bound chinook and sockeye. This may or may not still be part of the agreement but regardless, given the reduction in the size of the Canadian fishing fleet and limited fishing time and area due to constraints on by-catch of other stocks of concern, pink interceptions at the A-B line have declined over the years.

 

[Tormarmer]

Nah, not coincidence. I ran across some pictures from an Alaskan Fishing Site, much like this one. Four pictures, one showing the four guys river fishing, the other their catch after three and one half hours.

They had about 200 Salmon in their boat. They decided to only use dip nets as rods were just too slow.

I have'nt figured out how to paste pictures to a post yet. When I do, I'll add them.

Here's the link: http://www.myboatforum.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=705&highlight=chitna

T.

 

[Barbender]

That is just wrong. I Wish you had not posted that. Imagine using a net because it takes too long with a rod and reel. Pretty grim.

 

[Charter Tofino]

What goons. He says its gonna be all gone by winter as he has two boys. BS theres no way in hell your going to eat 200 salmon. Kinda sad when you consider the state of things down here.

 

[scott craven]

I assume "reds" are sockeye, no wonder we have no sockeye season down here [xx(]