Jessie Sheldon
Fisheries ReportJessie Sheldon is a fisheries reporter for KDLG, which brings daily news reports throughout the summer to thousands of commercial fishermen in Bristol Bay. Previously, she worked as a Wilderness Research Fellow for the Society for Wilderness Stewardship in California’s Sierra Nevada, and has spent several summers working in Alaska, both on the water and in the recording studio. Jessie graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Environmental Science. She’s passionate about marine ecosystems, connection through storytelling, and all things fishy.
-
The bay-wide run is now just under 29 million fish, with about 1.1 million fish caught yesterday. Egegik crews brought in nearly half of that, with about 490,000 fish. Lots of folks are on their way to fish the Naknek-Kvichak, with almost 150 additional permits transferring to the district over the next two days. -
The bay-wide run is now just under 27 million fish, with big catches over the weekend. On Sunday, crews caught 1.4 million fish, and Saturday, crews across the bay caught a whopping 2.3 million fish–that’s the biggest bay-wide catch of the season so far. Togiak tower crews started work last night, and the Naknek River saw a nice bump in escapement yesterday, bringing them closer to the lower end of their escapement goal range. The Port Moller Test Fishery says the bay is on track to meet its pre-season forecast of 44 million fish. -
For over 70 years, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has used counting towers in Bristol Bay to track salmon escapement. That means techs hand count each fish that swims by. But new technology is on its way to the Bay. KDLG’s Jessie Sheldon visited a research site on the Wood River to learn what AI and drones could mean for the fishery. -
The bay-wide run is now just under 20 million fish, with steady catches yesterday from all districts bringing in a total just under 1.5 million fish. The Nuhagak river has exceeded the upper end of its escapement goal range, with 2.7 million fish counted upstream so far this season, and the Kvichak river recorded the highest escapement of the day. A big drop off in the catch index at Port Moller, but their crew says not to worry, there are plenty of sockeye between the transect and the districts.
-
On June 29 at 4:20pm, the US Coast Guard received a report of a man overboard from the F/V Sandman in the vicinity of Egegik Bay, about 40 miles southwest of Naknek. The Coast Guard searched the area with Alaska State Troopers for several hours by boat and helicopter. They say that the search was suspended at 11:36pm, pending the development of new information. -
The highest catch numbers yesterday were recorded in the Egegik district, with over 550,000 fish caught, followed by the Nushagak with a catch of 450,000. Port Moller predicts that catches in the Naknek and Kvichak will continue to build through July 5th. -
The total baywide run has passed the 10 million mark, with steady catch numbers continuing to come in from all districts. Port Moller catches are still low, but they say there is no indication that the run is smaller than forecasted.
-
A lot happened in the Nushagak over the weekend, with around 1.8 million fish caught in the district and over one million sockeye counted swimming past the sonar. Plus an additional push of nearly 7,000 king salmon just yesterday. Port Moller catch indices are down, the crew thinks this could be because of rough weather but that it’s too early to tell. The latest stock composition indicates that the Kvichak is the next big stop for salmon, with 25% of the sampled fish on their way there. -
A federal court in Anchorage held arguments yesterday over the proposed Pebble mine. The US District Judge Sharon Gleason presiding over the hearing stated she will try to make a final determination in the near term. Litigants are hopeful that this ruling will be the final say in a 16 year long process over the proposed mine’s future. -
Anticipation is building in the Dillingham harbor as crews get their boats ready. Despite some concerns over processor consolidation and declining king runs, crews seem optimistic about the season’s high base prices and strong sockeye forecasts.
