Normal-to-late, Icicle Seafood's Warner Lew is telling his fleet. He shares why he thinks that with us. Listen here...
The 2016 commercial salmon season in Bristol Bay opened Wednesday. We don’t expect much effort for at least another two weeks. But, run timing is certainly one of the couple of three or four big issues the industry is considering right now, along with the size of the fish that return, the better market conditions, and those (dang) walrus.
Think of the thousands of choices that go into prosecuting the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, based on the assumption that the run will return within the couple-day window it normally does. But 2013 saw one of the earliest returns on record, and 2015 … well, it was so late many believed the monster run was a bust … before it was suddenly wasn’t. Add to the mix this spring’s Togiak herring run, which was the earliest on record by a wide margin, and there is a lot to think about. Warner Lew is the Bristol Bay fleet manager for Icicle Seafoods, and offered to weigh in.
Reach Dave Bendinger by email, or by phone at 907.842.5281.