If you’d like to send a message to the fleet, get in touch or give some perspective, give us a call 842-5281 or send an email to fish@kdlg.org.
Area management biologist Aaron Tiernan on Egegik and Ugashik runs
Egegik fleets have brought in over 3.6 million fish so far this season, with a big push this weekend. And as Port Moller data for Egegik suggests, there’s more to come! Fisheries reporter Jessie Sheldon spoke with Fish and Game area management biologist Aaron Tiernan for an update.
Alaska seafood processing jobs draws workers from around the world through temporary work visa program
It takes hard work and many hands to cut, handle and process the millions of salmon harvested in Bristol Bay, a fishery known for record volumes and a breakneck pace during a peak summer season. Many of those workers are international, from Mexico, to the Philippines to Ukraine, and are able to come to Alaska processing plants through a temporary work permit program. KDLG’s Corinne Smith reports.
Area closures and bag limit changes for sport fishers in the Togiak, in response to concerns over king salmon decline
Today we continue our series on sport fishing regulations changes by the Board of Fisheries over the winter. Most changes were in response to concerns over king salmon, which were designated as a stock of concern in the Nushagak for the first time this year. Today we take a look at changes to sportfishing regulations in the Togiak drainage. KDLG’s Jessie Sheldon has more.
Sportfishing regulations have also changed in the Chignik River drainage. A sport fish emergency order this spring prohibits retaining king salmon from April 3rd through August 9th, downstream to Mensis Point including Chignik Lake, Black Lake, and their tributaries. Area management biologists say this is because recent years of king salmon escapement in the Chignik drainage have been some of the lowest on record.
Fish and Game say King salmon caught in the Chignik drainage may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. And only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure may be used while sport fishing.
For more on sport fishing regulation changes to the Naknek and Nushagak drainages, check out last week’s updates at kdlg.org.
Mechanical Monday
This season on the Fish Report, we have a new weekly segment called Mechanical Mondays. Whether you are an experienced boat engineer or a new deckhand, or working with a new engine or boat this season, we’ll spotlight boat mechanics’ tips, tricky engine problems, the quick patchwork repairs and what works long term.
This week, we have a question from a crew member! A Nushagak skipper is having an exhaust leak.
He reports wet exhaust, black waste water, and engines lugged down. We have Gabe Dunham of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Marine Advisory Program back to talk us through it, as well as give a couple tips on hydraulics.
On Mechanical Mondays, we’re spotlighting not only what goes wrong, but also what boat engineers are getting right these days. Call us with your mechanical tip, questions or best repair…give us a call at 842-2200 or send an email to fish@kdlg.org.
Messages to the fleet
Happy Birthday to Laura at Graveyard Point. Happy fishing and love you lots.
Love, Allie
Sending A big happy birthday out to the captain of the Linda K.
Miss you tons ...love you lots... hope your day is filled with many fish, happy thoughts and with a touch of sunshine kisses...
All my love
Miss Denver
A big happy birthday wish to the captain of the Linda K.
All our love Mom, Bill and Tamera (and family)”
A congratulations to Aspyn Meyers of Naknek on her high school graduation and wish her a safe first commercial fishing season! Love and miss you,
From Papa Brian and Grandma Marsha in the lower 48.
Have a great summer Travis & Byron, and Goose & Captain Nick!
PK
To the crew of F/V Knota Lota,
We hope you are having a great season! Tyler, we love and miss you lots and can’t wait to have you home! Lucy and Dash are doing great, and they are counting the days until they see you! Ethan says he loves you and misses you so much!
Love from your favorite stepmom,
Jennifer
The numbers
Fleets harvested 2,271,396 fish baywide with 342,649 salmon escaping upriver yesterday. That leaves the total season catch at 10,568,319 of a 14.5 million total sockeye 14,466,274 run as of Sunday. Cumulative escapement was at 3,677,955 with another 220,000 in-river.
Nushagak
In the Nushagak District, fleets hauled in 971,286 fish yesterday, with an average drift delivery of 1,219 sockeye. Total catch in the Nushagak is 5,438,177.
The drift fleet has caught about 83.5% of that total harvest while Nushagak set netters have harvested about 13.5%, and the remaining 3% of that harvest was hauled by set netters in the Igushik.
Nushagak River
At the Nushagak River sonar, the run continues to slow as harvests in the bay increase, with 31,987 sockeye passing on Sunday for a total of 1,125,303 fish up the river so far.
405 Chinook passed the Nushagak River sonar for a total of 24,084 this season. Almost halfway to the 55,000 chinook escapement goal for the season.
And another 3,386 chum salmon passed the sonar, for a total of 63,687.
Wood River
57,174 fish passed the Wood River counting tower on Sunday, for a total escapement of 1,693,626. By 6 am this morning, crews reported another 12,264.
About 8 million sockeye are expected to return to the Wood this season.
Igushik River
16,974 spawners passed the Igushik counting tower yesterday, for a total of 162,594 this season. Another 2,352 swam past the tower as of 6 am this morning.
Togiak
Togiak fleets caught 0 fish yesterday but the season total is at 16,155.
Escapement is still at zero, but the forecast is an estimated 700,000 sockeye, and about 500,000 for harvest.
Naknek-Kvichak
Naknek and Kvichak total season harvests broke a million yesterday, 1,372,007 to be exact, with fishing fleets hauling in 542,695 fish. This season’s total escapement is at 228,588, and another 22,572 of those fish swam upstream yesterday.
86.8% of the total harvest was caught by the drift fleet. Naknek setnetters caught 8.9% and Kvichak setnetters 4.3%.
Alagnak numbers are beginning to come in, with a total escapement of 17,940 so far this season. 5,280 of those swam up the river on Sunday. The Alagnak is forecasted to get around 4.2 million fish.
The Naknek is forecasted to see a 6.5 million sockeye run, and the Kvichak is expecting to see over 8 million fish.
Egegik
Fishing crews in Egegik caught 757,415 fish yesterday, with an average drift delivery of 1,102 fish. The season’s total catch is now at 3,633,412.
Egegik drifters have hauled in 81.3% of the harvest and setnetters have caught 18.7%.
213,396 fish escaped upstream Sunday, making up half of the season’s total escapement so far which is 465,030 spawners. In-river estimate is at 200,000 fish. The total run is now at 4,298,442 fish.
Ugashik
No fish caught in Ugashik on Sunday. The season total is at 108,568 fish harvested, with Ugashik drifters catching 93.6% of that, and setnetters have caught 6.4%.
Escapement is 546 fish, and the total run at 111,382.
Vessel Registrations
As of 9 am today, in Egegik, there are 427 permits on 324 boats. Permits will drop slightly to 435 permits on 332 boats by Wednesday, and the number of DBoats boats will stay the same at 103.
The Ugashik District has 59 permits on 47 boats, which will also increase slightly to 63 permits on 50 boats in the next 2 days. DBoats will increase from 12 to 13.
In the Naknek-Kvichak District, there are now 433 permits on 348 boats. That will increase to 520 permits on 399 boats in the next 48 hours. DBoats will increase from 85 to 121.
In the Nushagak, there are 637 permits on 470 boats. By Wednesday, that will go to 596 permits on 446 boats. DBoats will go from 168 to 151.
The Togiak District has 21 permits on 21 boats, which won’t change in the next two days.
In total bay-wide, there are 1,577 active permits on 1,210 boats and 368 DBoats.
Chignik River weir
The Chignik River weir saw 26,247 sockeye yesterday, meaning a running total of 339,474 have swam through the weir this season.
An estimated 22,019 fish were part of the early run, and 4,228 fish part of the late run.
Area M
In Area M, harvest dropped significantly with North and South Peninsula fleets bringing in 2,665 sockeye yesterday. The season’s total is 1,335,720 sockeye.
They caught 11 chinook, for a season total of 2,758. No chum, cohos, or pinks were caught.
The total Area M season harvest across species is now at 1,752,423 fish.
Port Moller Test Fishery:
Crews report continued rough weather today, so there is no data for Stations 16, 18 or 20 and no stock composition today.
At the following test fishery stations, the smaller mesh size is 4 ½ inch and the bigger mesh size is 5 ⅛.
Station 4 caught 23 fish in the small net and 5 fish in the big net for a catch index of 62.
Station 6 caught 40 fish in the small net and 50 fish in the big net. That catch index is 193.
Station 8 - 39 fish in the small net and 23 fish in the big net. That catch index is 133.
Station 10 caught 77 fish in the small net and 116 fish in the big net. That catch index is 263.
Station 12 caught 6 fish in the small net. That catch index is 9.
Station 14 caught just 2 fish in the big net for a catch index of 5.
Get in touch at fish@kdlg.org.
