Salmon harvests are coming in slowly in the Wrangell-Petersburg area, according to Sea Level Seafoods and the state fisheries biologist out of Petersburg.
Though it’s too early for a lot of specific numbers, both report catches have been lower than in previous seasons.
“It’s going pretty slow,” said Nik Morozov, manager at Wrangell’s Sea Level plant. “We’re close to half of what we normally do.”
Morozov said he has three tenders out right now, and had been assuming they would fill up and bring back loads of fish quickly, but that is not happening. Catches are low, he said, though the price for salmon is high. That’s at least some good news for the fleet.
“Southeast is just not there,” he said. “I don’t know the cause of that, but we’re not seeing the pounds through this plant that we were expecting.”
Paul Salomone, state fisheries biologist in the Petersburg office, which manages the area, said so far he is seeing much the same story.
“It’s kind of a similar story of Petersburg proper, it’s slow developing at this point,” he said. “It’s still early yet. Some areas can be better than others. … I’ll know more in August.”
In an update last Friday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported “on-the-grounds surveys indicated sockeye salmon abundance well below average for the time of year” in District 6, which extends west from Etolin and Woronkofski islands into Clarence and Sumner straits.
“49 boats participated this week (July 18-19), which is below the 10-year average of 59 boats. Preliminary statistical harvest estimates include 100 chinook, 2,700 sockeye, 8,000 pink, and 18,700 chum salmon. Harvest of all five species was below the 10-year average.”
District 8, in front of the Stikine River and Wrangell, remains closed “The 2021 preseason forecast for Stikine River sockeye salmon is 56,000 fish, which is well below the average of 108,000 fish,” the department reported last Friday. “This forecast includes: 28,000 Tahltan Lake and 28,000 mainstem sockeye salmon and results in a small U.S. allowable catch of 2,120 Tahltan Lake sockeye,” but whether that happens will depend on run counts.
Chum returns aren’t looking much better in Southeast.
“Hatchery-produced chum salmon runs throughout Southeast have been variable to date, but harvests have generally been below average, as forecasted,” the department said.
“The 2021 Southeast Alaska pink salmon harvest forecast is predicted to be average, with a point estimate of 28 million fish. … Pink salmon percent males have generally been above average this season, indicating a later than normal run. Pink salmon average weights have been low, averaging 3 pounds or less.”
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