2018 Salmon Season Summary

The 2018 season ranks as one of the most valuable on record — and among the
smallest in recent years.

The following is a summary based on preliminary data released by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
(ADF&G). This data will be revised in 2019. Additional information found here.

The 2018 harvest is the seventh most valuable since 1975 in nominal terms; following anticipated revisions, the
season may be the fifth or sixth most valuable. However, excluding 2016, the total harvest volume was the
smallest in 34 years. The sockeye harvest was the second most valuable in 26 years and the chum harvest was
the third-most valuable since 1975.

Ex-vessel prices (the amount paid to fishermen) were comparable or higher than
ADF&G Season
2017 values. The average ex-vessel value per fish in 2018 was $5.20 which is
Summaries:
significantly higher than 2017’s value of $3.05 per fish. The average chinook salmon
Bristol Bay
weighing 11.6 pounds earned fishermen nearly $70 per fish; the average sockeye
Lower Cook Inlet
was valued at $7.00 per fish.
Norton Sound
Bristol Bay’s harvest of 41.3 million sockeye worth an estimated $275 million is a Alaska Peninsula and
record for both volume and value. ADF&G’s sockeye salmon forecast for 2019 Aleutian Islands
anticipates a return that is 10 percent lower than the 10-year average and about Chignik
16 percent above the 55-year average. More information found here. Kodiak
Prince William Sound
Excluding Bristol Bay, Alaska’s sockeye harvest was about 40 percent lower than
the 10-year average. Prince William Sound’s harvest was nearly 50 percent lower;
Cook Inlet was 60 percent lower; and Southeast was down about 45 percent. The Chignik harvest of only 128
sockeye is in sharp contrast to 2017’s production of nearly 900,000 fish.

However, outside of Bristol Bay there were some bright spots in the season. Southeast’s late-season harvest of
chum was largely unanticipated — about three million fish were harvested at Crawfish Inlet. While modest,
Norton Sound’s $4.0 million salmon harvest was a record, and both the chum and coho harvests on the Yukon
River were the 4th largest on record by volume.

Preliminary Alaska Salmon Harvest Value and Volume, 2018

Ex-vessel Value Ex-vessel Pounds Number of Fish Average Ex-vessel
(Million) (Million) (Million) Price per Pound
Sockeye $349.2 262.2 49.9 $1.33
Chum $125.0 160.7 20.1 $0.78
Pink $69.2 152.7 40.7 $0.45
Coho $35.9 26.8 3.6 $1.34
Chinook $16.3 2.7 0.2 $5.98
Total $595.6 605.3 114.5 $0.98
Note: Values are preliminary and have been rounded.
Source: ADF&G; compiled by McDowell Group.