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2015 Chignik sockeye late, prices low

Hannah Colton/KDLG

Like other runs around the state, Chignik sockeye came late and prices were low.

The numbers are in for the Chignik salmon fishery, which had a sockeye run of about 2.5 million sockeye this summer. Like Bristol Bay, the sockeye came late and the value was below average, according to Fish and Game's season summary, released this week.

The Chignik sockeye escapement was about 534,000 sockeye for the early-run, and another 589,810 in the late-run. ADFG Area Management Biologist Dawn Wilburn said the run timing helped push those numbers up.

“We didn’t really expect that the run was going to be late, so that kinda shot us over the escapement goal range for the early and the late run," Wilburn said. "Had we known that the runs were just late, and not necessarily just potentially on the weak side, we probably could have harvested a little harder in the early part of the season, but we just didn’t know.”

Both processors left earlier than usual, and before the sockeye run wound down, which also impacted the final harvest and escapement numbers, Wilburn said.

This summer, 71 permit holders fished in the Chignik Management Area. They landed a total of about 3.7 million salmon, including 1.5 million sockeye, 1.9 million pinks, 101,000 chums and 9,100 kings.

Retired seiner Don Bumpus, who lives in Chignik Lagoon, said the late return of salmon and early departure of processors made for a very strange summer.

“It was a really mixed up year. I’ve never seen one like it before," Bumpus said.

Bumpus fished for 45 seasons. This summer, his son ran his boat.

And at the end of it all, prices came in about 60 cents lower than last year.  Bumpus said ISA paid about $1.05. Trident's price was lower than that.

“We’ve had two bad years in a row," he said. "Not so much because we didn’t get to fish, it’s just the price. I honestly think if we have another season next year like these past two, there’s going to be some people in serious trouble here.”

Fish and Game estimated the salmon fishery’s value at $7.8 million dollars, well below the five-year average of about $16 million. Most of that comes from the sockeye fishery, which was worth about $6.5 million this year.

This fall, Chignik fishermen asked the governor to switch their management from the westward region to the central region. Fish and Game Commissioner Sam Cotten met with Chignik representatives regarding their concerns last week. No changes were made immediately, but the conversation is expected to continue.

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