Alaska 2024 Salmon Season: Strong Start for Sockeye, Lower Projections for Bristol Bay, and Promising Keta Run

The 2024 Alaska wild salmon fishing season began with promising results from the Copper River gillnet fishery, reporting an 11% year-to-date increase in sockeye harvests compared to 2023. Conversely, the Bristol Bay region's total harvest projections are about 33% year-on-year (YoY) lower, with early-season sockeye harvests also down. The predicted keta (chum) salmon run for 2024 might be the largest since 2018, although early season harvests are currently lower than last year. Keta harvests usually peak around statistical W29. So far, the total statewide harvest for all salmon species has reached 2% of the predicted total run of 135.6 million fish.