Hundreds of commercial salmon fishermen around Kodiak Island opted not to fish this past summer. That’s according to data released by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game earlier this month on Nov. 5.
Limited participation, a lack of salmon, and additional market factors created one of the lowest valued commercial seasons on record.
Kevin Fisher is the president of the Alitak District Setnet Association, which represents roughly 70 permit holders who fish around the southern end of the island, although less than 50 were actively fishing this year.
He said approximately 23 of his association’s members – roughly a third – didn’t even fish this summer. Many opted out after their usual buyer, OBI Seafoods, pulled the plug on operations in the area three months before the anticipated start of the season.
The group ultimately found another processor and hired a tender to transport their catch. But Fisher said the tender sat empty for a month until a fishing period for pink salmon opened in the Alitak District in July.
“So we were really kind of stressing out, with having this boat there and not making any money; all the fishermen and nobody’s making any money," Fisher explained. "So luckily, we had I think one opener in July and then finally in August it turned on and we got some fish down here.”
Two total tenders eventually arrived from Washington state to deliver fish from the Alitak District Setnet Association's skiffs to town. Fisher said the second came up in August when things were going “gangbusters” to help deliver the excess of fish.
Salmon fishermen across the state struggled this summer, regardless of gear type, with the overall commercial salmon fishery harvest statewide bringing in almost $100 million less than last year’s harvest. That’s according to data the Alaska Department of Fish and Game released on Nov. 18. The 2024 commercial salmon fishery harvest statewide for all species was valued at approximately $304 million, whereas the 2023 season was valued at $398 million. ADF&G's report said market conditions significantly impacted the pricing of salmon statewide and consequently, the value of the harvest this year.
Ongoing market struggles, coupled with a weak salmon forecast, led many Kodiak Island fishers to completely skip this summer season.
Overall, the department’s Kodiak office estimates less than 60% of all permitted setnetters across the island fished this summer.
And those who did fish saw less salmon in the water. The department said 7.3 million pinks were harvested this season along with 1.6 million sockeye, numbers that were below the ten-year average. 4.7 million pinks came from wild stocks, and 2.5 million involved Kitoi Bay Hatchery pink salmon and cost recovery fish. Harvest numbers across all five species of salmon were below the department’s forecast levels going into the summer.
Fewer fish, less boats fishing, and decreased fishing opportunities also resulted in an estimated ex-vessel value of $14.2 million total for commercial salmon across all gear types in the Kodiak area, which is only 40% of the ten-year average. ADF&G's Kodiak office said this was one of the lowest ex-vessel values on record, at 42% of the 10-year average of $33.5 million. But it was not as bad as 2016.
A more pronounced dip, however, was in purse seine participation.
James Jackson, an area manager biologist with Fish and Game in Kodiak, said less than a third, or 117 of the island’s 368 permitted purse seiners fished this season.
“A little of that had to do with kind of a hangover from last year’s fish markets, fishermen not anticipating a decent price, but also the forecast for pinks was particularly weak," Jackson explained. "So a lot of seiners decided to take a year off as well.”
Jackson said there were multiple factors that contributed to the weaker salmon runs across all five species in the Kodiak Management Area. Those include the 2019 heat wave that impacted spawning sockeye salmon that year, and those fish are now adults as sockeye have an average life span of five years.
But Jackson said for the diminished pink harvests, the main contributors were likely poor ocean conditions and less food available for salmon production.
“And two major driving factors that indicated that the run would be weak were cold spring and early summer sea surface temperatures, which could indicate lower ocean productivity. And a really strong Gulf of Alaska-wide odd year pink salmon run," Jackson said.
For those that did fish, the end results were mixed.
Fisher, the setnetter, said he might have broken even this summer and he’s not sure about how the tenders did financially. The fishing season for the Alitak District Setnet Association fishermen ended in mid-September according to Fisher because the two tenders had to return to Washington.
“I don’t know the total, if the tender actually made any money or not, or if we have a little bit of a bill to cover," he said. "But at any rate, we had a successful season, meaning that we all stuck together and we got fish.”
FIsher said he is more optimistic for next year’s season, especially since the Alitak District Setnet Association has Silver Bay lined up to buy salmon from its fishermen on the southern end of Kodiak Island.
