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Bristol Bay Fisheries Report: July 3, 2017

Nick Ciolino / KDLG

Egegik posts a huge harvest Sunday, and the Nushagak explodes again, sinking nets and sinking at least one vessel (all crew were accounted for). Naknek-Kvichak goes into the water today, and Ugashik tomorrow. At least two processors are struggling to keep up as the total run gets to 10 million.

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.)

The total run to Bristol Bay will crest 10 million Monday, maybe by a long shot. Sunday's catch was 1.2 million, bringing the season total to 6.6 million, and the total run was 9.6 million sockeye. Egegik had a great day of fishing, bringing in 857,000 with an average drift delivery size of 1909 sockeye. The Nushagak openers went into the morning, but the catches were huge. "It was just amazing, there were sunk nets in thirty minutes of less, it was almost as great as like ... delivery pizza," says one Ekuk set netter. The catch was so big that two processors plugged up and stopped buying fish, and at least four vessels had serious problems early Monday, with one capsizing and sinking and others taking on water or beaching. Port Moller test fish catches dropped off a bit again today ... is that the beginning of the decline? Is it possible July 4 will be the peak day once again?

Credit Port Moller Test Fishery
The daily catch index from Port Moller from June 10 (on the top) through July 3.

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? ReachAveryLill / Nick Ciolino /Allison Mollenkamp / or Caitlin Tan (in Naknek)

Credit Caitlin Tan / KDLG
Catch coming in from a tender at the Silver Bay Seafoods dock in the Naknek River Monday.

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