Things are winding down for the season but fish are still coming in Ugashik. Across the bay, all river systems have now met their lower end escapement goals for the season.

The Power Cost Equalization Endowment was one of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s 182 line-item vetoes. If funding is not restored, residents in Bristol Bay will have to pay the difference. 

This year saw record-breaking temperatures in Bristol Bay – part of a temperature trend that spans decades. As the waters warm, what could happen to the salmon?

The bay-wide harvest has now surpassed last year’s cumulative harvest, with 41.5 million fish. Four of the districts have now passed their minimum escapement goals for the season. Ugashik got more than half of its total escapement this season over the weekend – it’s now at 590,000. 

Cumulative harvest across the bay is now 41 million. The Kvichak has met its minimum escapement of 2 million fish, and escapement in the Igushik finally jumped yesterday. Egegik and Naknek fleets slowed down slightly yesterday, but Ugashik had another good day of fishing, and the district will likely meet the minimum of half a million.  

The bay-wide total run is now at 51.6 million! Ugashik fished for the first time in almost two weeks yesterday, pushing the total harvest toward half a million fish. Egegik’s total run is now about double the preseason forecast. The Kvichak escapement is still moving toward its minimum escapement goal of 2 million – but it’s not there yet.

The Naknek-Kvichak has surpassed its forecasted total run. Three rivers across the bay have passed the upper end of their escapement goals. Ugashik had its last opener on July 8, and it's still over 300,000 short of the minimum escapement. 

With more than 13 million fish, Egegik’s total harvest is now almost double its preseason forecast. The strong run has also pushed the district’s total escapement above its upper end goal of 2 million. In the Nushagak District, the Wood River has also surpassed its upper end escapement goal of 1.8 million.

Welcome to the Bristol Bay Fisheries Report! It’s technically the last day of active management, but the Eastside managers have announced they are pulling fishing back into the Egegik and Naknek River special harvest areas in an effort to push Kvichak fish through and make minimum escapement.