$280 million payed out to fisherman in Bristol Bay.
According to a summary by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, the 2018 Bristol Baysockeye salmon run of 62.3 million was nearly 70 percent above the 20 year average as reported in Bristol Bay Radio.
The area is all round looking healthier and more abundant in terms of commercial fishing. This year’s Bristol Bay sockeye run was one for the record books. An estimated 62.3 million sockeyes returned. Most since records were initiated in 1893, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Last year fishermen averaged just under $215 million at the docks last year. However it also was the fourth consecutive year that sockeye runs topped 50 million fish. This year $280 million was dished out to around 2,800 salmon permit holders in Bristol Bay. The Bay accounts for 35 to 40 percent of the global sockeye supply.
“Most major buyers posted a sockeye base price of $1.25 this summer with 15 cent bonuses for chilled and bled fish. The average Bay price last year was $1.02 a pound,” the publication reported.
