Several big buyers post a $1/lb base price, the run shoots to 49 million, and the districts head to wide open or weekly schedules. As we wrap up our special coverage, ADF&G's Paul Salomone, Travis Ellison, and Tim Sands join for a preliminary recap of this incredible, historic year for the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.
It's been a fun year for us, hopefully for you the listeners too! Keep in touch -- dave@kdlg.org -- and join us again for this special coverage again in 2018.
The total run to Bristol Bay will probably break 50 million today, far surpassing the preaseon forecast. Trident, Icicle, and at least one buyer in Togiak confirmed Sunday that they are posting a $1 per pound base price for Bristol Bay's catch this year. That's up a quarter from last season, and at Trident and Icicle are both offering quality incentives, up to $1.25/lb total for Trident's chilled, floated, and bled sockeye. The run keeps coming, but managers are turning their fleets loose to fish on wide open or weekly schedules. Leaving aside Togiak, which is usually later, all of Bristol Bay's managed rivers have met or exceeded their escapement goals, including the Nushagak king run. The Nushagak District has now set an all time high total run and all time high district harvest, and a smaller fleet continues to put away good catches. This year's sockeye return to Bristol Bay is one for the books, but how was the actual fishing? That we won't know till more of you come back shoreside. Thanks for following along this season, and catch the ongoing coverage in our local newscasts and online at KDLG.org.
Catch this program nightly at 6 p.m., 10 p.m., and 2 a.m. on AM 670, and online at KDLG.org. (With early broadcasts Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.)
Letters from home to your friends and family in the Bay this summer? Email us at fish@kdlg.org or dave@kdlg.org, or call 907-842-5281.
Have feedback, suggestions of something you'd like to hear? ReachAvery Lill / Nick Ciolino / Allison Mollenkamp / or Caitlin Tan (in Naknek)
