As you’ve heard reported on this show, the Port Moller Test Fishery is a one-of-a-kind research tool and an essential part of the Bristol Bay commercial fishing season. Located roughly 200 miles southwest of the Bristol Bay fishery, it’s been running since 1967. Two research vessels fish up to 13 stations, sampling the catch each day to help inform fishing fleets, processors, and managers and assess run size and timing.
We sat down with Jordan Head, former fisheries technician now director of the test fishery. It’s run by the Bristol Bay Science and Research Institute, with funding support from processors and the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, or BBRSDA
Weather Wednesday
Big storms are on the horizon in Bristol Bay, with another storm expected to roll in this weekend - a bit further to the north - and another early next week. Winds are forecasted to be blowing 20 to 30 knots. KDLG’s Corinne Smith checked in with climate specialist Rick Thoman for this week’s Weather Wednesday.
How will this next week’s parade of storms impact the runs and fishing fleets? Fish and Game is extending the opener in the Nushagak. KDLG’s Jack Darrell checked in with Tim Sands, area management biologist for the westside.
The Numbers
The bay-wide catch Tuesday was just shy of 1,397,391 fish.
The total season catch is at 14,876,937. Cumulative escapement is at 4,399,094 with another 330,000 in-river.
The total run as of yesterday was 19,609,031 sockeye.
Nushagak
In the Nushagak District, fleets hauled in another 525,547 fish on Tuesday, with an average drift delivery of 589 sockeye. The total catch is 6,484,448.
The drift fleet has caught 80.2% of that total harvest, while Nushagak set netters have harvested 16.7%, and set netters in the Igushik have harvested 3.1%.
Nushagak River
At the Nushagak River sonar, 57,075 sockeye passed on Tuesday for a total of 1,231,880 fish up the river so far.
1,954 Chinook passed the Nushagak River sonar yesterday for a total of 27,277 this season. The escapement goal is at least 55,000.
Another 2,075 chum salmon passed the sonar, for a total of 68,637 this season.
Wood River
66,276 sockeye passed the Wood River counting tower on Tuesday, bringing the total escapement to 1,820,322. Another 15,720 swam up by 6 am this morning.
The escapement goal for the Wood River is up to 3 million fish, and the forecast is around 8 million sockeye.
Igushik River
4,494 sockeye passed the Igushik counting tower on Tuesday, for a total of 170,508 fish this season. Another 606 swam past the tower as of 6 am this morning.
Togiak
The Togiak counting tower crew is setting up camp and planning to be active and reporting escapement counts by Thursday. Togiak escapement is forecasted at 700,000.
Togiak fleets caught 5,090 fish yesterday, for a season total of 26,407 fish. The average drift delivery there was 131 fish.
Naknek-Kvichak
Naknek and Kvichak fishing fleets hauled in 387,551 fish, bringing the season total to 3,223,574 fish. This season’s total escapement is 317,010, and 88,422 of those fish swam upstream yesterday.
The drift fleet caught about 80.7% of the total harvest, Naknek setnetters caught 10.3% and Kvichak setnetters around 9%. The average drift delivery was 636 fish.
In the Naknek River, 195,582 spawners swam upstream yesterday, bringing the river’s cumulative escapement to 406,542.
In the Kvichak River, almost 3,186 fish made it upstream past the counting tower, for a total escapement of 89,034 fish so far. The in-river estimate for the Kvichak is 330,000.
In the Alagnak River, 2,236 spawners swam upstream yesterday, for a total season escapement of 22,548.
The Naknek is forecasted to see a 6.5 million sockeye run, and the Kvichak is expecting to see over 8 million fish. The Alagnak is forecasted to get around 4.2 million.
Egegik
Egegik fishing crews caught 479,203 fish yesterday, with an average drift delivery of 812 fish. The season’s total catch is now at 4,964,380.
Egegik drifters have hauled in 81.9% of the harvest this season, and setnetters have caught 18.1%.
Escapement was at 51,234 fish yesterday, for a total season escapement of 653,910 fish. The total run is now at 5,618,290.
Ugashik
Ugashik fleets harvested no fish on Tuesday. The season total is 181,128 fish harvested. So far, Ugashik drifters have caught 79.2% of the season’s total catch, and setnetters have caught 20.8%.
Cumulative escapement is at 4,350 fish and the total run in Ugashik is 185,378. This number is down by about 5000 from yesterday, due to an overestimation of in-river fish.
Vessel Registrations
As of noon today, in Egegik, there are 431 permits on 328 boats. That will drop slightly to 429 permits on 327 boats by Friday, and the number of DBoats will drop from 103 to 102.
The Ugashik District has 63 permits on 50 boats, which will increase to 76 permits on 58 boats in the next 2 days. DBoats will go from 13 to 18 by Friday.
Lots of boats headed to the Naknek-Kvichak District this week - there are now 520 permits on 399 boats. That will jump to 613 permits on 460 boats by Friday. DBoats will increase from 121 to 153.
In the Nushagak, there are 541 permits on 409 boats. In the next 2 days, that will drop to 523 permits on 397 boats. DBoats will decrease from 133 to 127.
The Togiak District has 22 permits on 22 boats, which will stay the same in the next two days.
In total bay-wide, there are 1,577 active permits on 1,208 boats and 370 DBoats.
Chignik River weir
At the Chignik River weir, 7,518 sockeye swam through the weir Tuesday, for a season total just under 368,867.
An estimated 5,889 fish were part of the early run, and about 1,629 fish part of the late run.
Area M
In Area M, North and South Peninsula fleets harvested 11,897 sockeye on Tuesday. The season’s total is 1,352,015.
They caught 5 chinook Tuesday, for a season total of 2,774. 31 chum were caught, and no coho or pinks.
The total Area M season harvest across species is now at 1,768,765.
For the South Peninsula, total harvest is at 881,278 sockeye and 1,737 chinook.
In the North Peninsula, total harvest is just under 470,737 sockeye and 1,037 chinook.
Port Moller Test Fishery
No stock composition to report today.
Technicians report only one research vessel was able to fish yesterday because of poor weather, but catch indices were recorded at Stations 2-10. They said the outer stations were unfishable due to weather.
For Port Moller catches on Tuesday, no fish were caught at Station 2.
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 7 fish in the small net and 13 fish in the big net. That catch index is 46.
Station 6 caught 5 fish in the small net and 14 fish in the big net. That catch index is 35.
Station 8 caught 19 fish in the small net and 0 fish in the big net. That catch index is 48.
Station 10 caught 28 fish in the small net and 17 fish in the big net. That catch index is 93.
We have no messages to the fleet tonight but here is a poem.
The Storm At Sea, by Lydia Sigourney
The good ship o’er the Ocean
Glides on, while skies are bright,
And rolling waves, right merrily
Propel her homeward flight.
But clouds and angry tempests,
Rush from their prison cell,
The rocky coast frowns dark and dread,
The wintry surges swell.
‘Tis night.—Amid the breakers,
The headlong vessel goes,
And groaning, like a wounded man
Strives with its vengeful foes.
Pale grows the boldest mariner,
For scarce the trumpet’s cry,
Is heard amid contending blasts
That shake the astonish’d sky.
How fearful is the tumult,
The cry, the shriek, the prayer,
Are mingled with the deaf’ning storm,
In echoes of despair.
But in the lonely cabin
Rock’d by the raging sea,
There calmly sat a beauteous boy,
Upon his mother’s knee;
He sang a hymn of heaven,
Then spoke so sweetly mild,
“The Bible saith our Saviour dear
Doth love the little child,—
It telleth of a happy home,
Above the stormy sky,
Mother!—He’ll take us there to dwell
We’re not afraid to die.”
His smile was pure and peaceful,
As the pearl beneath the deep,—
When the booming battle-thunders
Across its bosom sweep.
Hoarse came the words of horror
From men of sinful life,
While innocence, with soul serene
Beheld the appalling strife.
Morn! Morn!—The clouds are breaking,
The tempest’s wrath is o’er.
The shatter’d bark moves heavily
To reach the welcome shore.
Hush’d is the voice of thunder,
And quell’d the lightning’s flame,
For prayer had touch’d the gate of Heaven,
And answer’ng mercy came.
Get in touch at fish@kdlg.org
