Season ‘Average’ as Management Turns to Humpies

Jay Barrett/KMXT

Fish and Game officials switched their management scheme from sockeye to pink salmon around Kodiak Island late last week. The red harvest is currently at 1.2-million, with a catch of 105,584 on Saturday, while the pink salmon catch numbers are starting to increase. Saturday over 76,000 were caught for a total harvest of 282,000. The all-species total harvest is 1.88-million, about 300,000 less than the same time last season.

Geoff Spalinger is the assistant Kodiak fisheries manager:

— (Salmon 1 17 sec "Last year, Cape Igvak … catches are about average.")

Even though the catch has been about average, that’s still better than it has been for several years on the West Side of Kodiak Island:

— (Salmon 2 22 sec "That’s mainly because Karluk … but they were fishing.")

At just 4,000, the district’s Coho harvest is about one-fourth the catch at this time last year, but Spalinger says the peak of the run is still some time off:

— (Salmon 3 21 sec "I’m not too sure. It’s probably … attention to come August.")

Chum are running about the same as this time last year, with a catch just under 400,000, while at 6,351, the king salmon catch is ahead of last year.

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