Commercial salmon harvesters have had a tough year in Alaska, with preliminary state estimates showing that the 2024 season had the third-lowest catch since 1985 and the third-lowest inflation-adjusted ex-vessel value to fishermen since 1975, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The department released its annual salmon harvest summary on Nov. 18.
Statewide, commercial fishermen landed 101.2 million salmon of all species during the 2024 season, according to the summary. That’s down 56% from the total harvest of 232.2 million in 2023, and 25% lower than the preseason projection of 135.7 million salmon of all species.
Pink salmon harvests statewide fared the worst among the five salmon species relative to preseason forecasts, coming in at about 58% of the preseason harvest projection, according to the summary.
The number of commercial permit holders participating in the fisheries declined, as well, sliding from 5,592 permit holders in 2023 to 5,276 in 2024.
The state’s preliminary estimate of “ex-vessel” value, which represents the amount that fishermen are paid for their catch, is about $304 million. In 2023, the preliminary ex-vessel estimate was $398 million.
“Market conditions significantly impacted the pricing of salmon statewide and consequently, the value of the harvest,” according to the announcement, which noted that the “final value of the 2024 salmon fishery will be determined in 2025 after seafood buyers and processors report the total value paid to fishermen.”
Competition from farmed salmon and cheaper Russian salmon have cut into Alaska’s market share and undermined prices.
For Southeast Alaska, commercial harvesters landed an estimated 35.74 million salmon of all species, with a total estimated ex-vessel value of about $79.89 million.
That preliminary number was the second lowest since 2013, higher than only the pandemic season of 2020 at about $50 million, according to Fish and Game data.
Chum salmon was the largest contributor to the Southeast Alaska harvest by value, according to the summary data. Harvesters landed about 13.69 million chums, which, at an average price of 41 cents per pound, netted a total of about $38.29 million for Southeast Alaska fishers.
Between 2007 and 2024, chum have contributed from $10.35 million (2020) to $82.63 million (2012) in preliminary ex-vessel value to commercial harvesters in Southeast Alaska, according to department data.
Unlike other areas of Alaska, the Southeast harvest of about 19.88 million pink salmon was almost spot on the preseason point-estimate forecast of 19 million pinks.
However, with an average price of 25 cents per pound, the preliminary ex-vessel value of pink salmon to commercial harvesters was only about $14.5 million — the 10th lowest dollar amount (not adjusted for inflation) since 2013.
Only 2020 ($6.24 million) and 2018 ($11.35 million) saw lower preliminary ex-vessel value numbers for pinks. The year with the highest preliminary ex-vessel value for pinks during that time frame was 2013, which tallied $124.74 million.
Other preliminary harvests and ex-vessel values in Southeast in 2024 were 189,286 king salmon valued at $10.92 million ($5.44 per pound on average); 738,110 sockeye valued at $5.85 million ($1.52 per pound) and 1.25 million coho valued at $10.35 million ($1.38 per pound), according to department data.
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