Bristol Bay Sockeye Run Either Late or Over-Estimated: Stay Tuned
All eyes are on Bristol Bay today as fishermen and processors look for a surge in sockeye landings marking the peak of the run today or at the latest, tomorrow. That peak did not come on the traditional day of July 4 writes Peggy Parker. Cumulative landings as of yesterday totaled 8.5 million fish, short by more than half for this time in a six-week season with a forecast of 37.6 million reds. That means the run is either late, will come in this week in a compressed fashion, or was significantly over estimated. “The migration this year has been very odd,” said Dr. Scott Raborn of the Bristol Bay Science and Research Institute. “By now, the run will have to be several days late to come in at the pre-season forecast and/or be very compressed…. at this point we must consider the possibility of a smaller run."
In other news surveys of the Gulf of Maine’s lobster stocks by the state’s show the resource to be in “great shape.” So far production out of the the fishery has yet to get going with the waters still too cold for catches to come in. However, once the waters are warm enough, signs are pointing to another good year for the Maine lobster haul according Carl Wilson, director of the Bureau of Marine Science for Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. “Right now it’s important for people to understand that it’s an unprecedented prosperity for the lobster population and the associated fishery,” Wilson said. “It’s a gift to the state of Maine.”
Meanwhile, the Prince William Sound’s herring fishery reported the second largest number of schools since officials started logging the data six years ago. Fishery scientists said the survey’s results are generally good for the fishery, but more time and data is needed to determine the age of the fish to understand the health of the fishery’s recruitment.
Finally, ongoing declines in Louisiana’s statewide crab harvest have caused short supplies and high prices in local markets. Some of the state’s distributors are now reporting a decline in demand among consumers in Louisiana; this has prompted distributors to ship more crab to out-of-state-markets still willing to pay for the crab.
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