2008 Salmon Forecast

Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its 2008 run forecasts and salmon harvest projections in February. As always, the projection generates a good deal of interest from industry stakeholders. While accuracy varies from year to year, the ADF&G projection is normally within 10-20 percent of the actual harvest and provides an important “ballpark” figure for market supply of Alaska wild salmon. READ MORE

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Halibut Season Update

Sablefish and halibut make up less than 2 percent of Alaska’s total commercial harvest tonnage but typically account for 18 – 20 percent of total statewide ex-vessel value. The IFQ longline fisheries for halibut and sablefish opened March 8 and are proceeding at a fairly normal pace. READ MORE

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Sablefish Landings

Landings of IFQ sablefish through April 14 totaled 4.6 million pounds, 15 percent of allowable catch for the 2008 season. This is above the typical cumulative harvest of 12 percent for mid-April. Ex-vessel price for sablefish has reportedly increased and some of the additional landings volume may be the result of longliners targeting sablefish instead of halibut in the early season. READ MORE

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Whitefish Update

Alaska’s pollock fishery has been riding a wave of record harvests since the early 2000s. Stocks are decreasing, however, and with them the size of the fishery’s total allowable catch. Following recommendations by the team of scientists involved in stock research and monitoring, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended a 337,700-metric ton (744 million-pound) reduction in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) fishery. The BSAI accounts for more than 95 percent of the total Alaska harvest. The balance comes from Gulf of Alaska (GOA) waters. READ MORE

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