Another 807,000 Sockeye Added to the Bristol Bay Total

Commercial fishermen in Bristol Bay hauled in another 807.3-thousand sockeye Thursday to push the season total to over 6.9-million fish. The Egegik District continues to lead the other commercial fishing districts in Bristol Bay in harvest with a catch of over 2.1-million sockeye. However, the fleets in the Egegik District have been on hold Thursday and today to allow more escapement. Fishermen in the Naknek-Kvichak District hauled in 450-thousand sockeye Thursday to push the season total to over 1.9-million fish. The commercial harvest was just 10-thousand fish Thursday in the Ugashik District to push the District total to 1.4-million. The commercial harvest in the Nushagak District was 347-thousand fish to push the season total to over 1.3-million. Fishermen in Togiak only hauled in 394 sockeye on Thursday to increase the season total to just under 16-thousand fish. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports that on average there were 852-sockeye per drift delivery Thursday in the Naknek-Kvichak District and the number was 648 in the Nushagak District. The number was 122-sockeye in the Togiak District. Fish and Game reports that as of 9-am Friday morning there were 1,539 driftnet permits registered to fish in Bristol Bay and that is expected to increase up to 1,645 in 48-hours. There are currently 1,271 driftnet vessels registered and that’s expected to increase up to 1,345 drift vessels in 48-hours. The D-boat count is 268 and that’s expected to increase up to 300 D-boats in 48-hours. Thursday was the first day of counting on the Ugashik River and over 10.7-thousand sockeye were counted. Fish and Game is estimating that there are another 80-thousand sockeye in the Ugashik River that have not yet been counted as escapement. Just 19.3-thousand sockeye were counted Thursday as escapement to the Egegik River to push the total to over 424.6-thousand sockeye. Fish and game is estimating that there are another 50-thousand sockeye in the Egegik River that have not yet been counted as escapement. Thursday’s escapement count to the Kvichak River was 44.5-thousand sockeye to push the total to over 191.2-thousand. Fish and Game is estimating that there are another 100-thousand sockeye in the Kvichak River that have not yet been counted as escapement. For the Naknek River another 59.8-thousand sockeye were counted as escapement on Thursday to push the total to over 237.6-thousand sockeye. In the Nushagak District another 25.9-thousand sockeye were counted to the Igushik River on Thursday to push the total to over 147.3-thousand. 13.8-thousand sockeye were counted as escapement to the Nushagak River to push the total to over 640.4-thousand fish. Over 28.4-thousand sockeye were counted to the Wood River Thursday to push the total to over 720.6-thousand. The counting towers on the Togiak River are not yet up and running but they should be operational on July 3rd. Through Thursday the total sockeye run to Bristol Bay, including harvest and escapement, is over 9.5-million fish. The Daily Run Summary can be found on the ADF&G Bristol Bay website and the summaries are also posted at the Fish and Game offices in Dillingham and King Salmon.