Halibut Point Rd Sitka, Alaska 99835218-732-4744info@anglingunlimited.com
MailInstagramTwitterFacebook
Angling UnlimitedAngling Unlimited
Angling Unlimited
Sitka, Alaska Charter Fishing Lodge
  • Book Your Trip
    • Season Rates
    • Forms
      • Reservations Form
      • Guest Information Form
    • Specials
      • Hook It & Cook It
  • Itinerary
  • Your Catch
    • Fish Processing
    • Photo Gallery
    • Recipes
    • How to Properly Smoke Fish
  • About Us
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Testimonials
    • The Crew
    • Our Boats & Tackle
    • Lodging
    • Videos
    • eNews
  • Fishing
    • Alaska Fishing Seasons and Regulations
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fishing Charter
    • Fish Species
    • Mooching: How We Fish
    • Safe & Responsible Catch & Release Fishing
  • Sitka
    • Why Visit Sitka, Alaska?
    • Sitka Activities
    • Sitka Wildlife
    • Sitka Scenery
    • Sitka Restaurants
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
 
  • Book Your Trip
    • Season Rates
    • Forms
      • Reservations Form
      • Guest Information Form
    • Specials
      • Hook It & Cook It
  • Itinerary
  • Your Catch
    • Fish Processing
    • Photo Gallery
    • Recipes
    • How to Properly Smoke Fish
  • About Us
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Testimonials
    • The Crew
    • Our Boats & Tackle
    • Lodging
    • Videos
    • eNews
  • Fishing
    • Alaska Fishing Seasons and Regulations
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fishing Charter
    • Fish Species
    • Mooching: How We Fish
    • Safe & Responsible Catch & Release Fishing
  • Sitka
    • Why Visit Sitka, Alaska?
    • Sitka Activities
    • Sitka Wildlife
    • Sitka Scenery
    • Sitka Restaurants
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Record Breaking Salmon Run

October 28, 2013Leave a commentThe Captain's BlogBy Captain Tom Ohaus

The salmon harvest numbers in Alaska for 2013 broke records and show the value of undisturbed spawning habitat. Statewide 269.3 million salmon were commercially harvested which demolishes the previous record from 2005 of 221.9 million. In Southeast Alaska, the pink salmon harvest was nearly 90 million fish. Another 10 million could have been harvested without compromising escapement goals but the processing capacity of the region was overwhelmed. Statewide, the pink harvest came in at a record 216.1 million fish. The previous record was 161 million in 2005. The estimated number of coho returning (not the catch) to Southeast Alaska this year was 5.75 million fish. Chums also came in record numbers with a troll harvest of 1.1 million, another record.

Why the massive returns? Three reasons come to mind:

Radford1

A typical catch of salmon from 2013!

1. Incredibly high levels of marine survival. Pinks and most coho spend one year at sea. Apparently between the time they left the river in spring of 2012 to when they came back in summer of 2013 they encountered a highly productive ocean. Lots of food generates faster growth rates. Big well fed salmon survive better than small underfed fish. Higher rates of survival lead to bigger schools of fish. Large schools are more effective in finding prey and avoiding predators. All of these leads to exponentially higher rates of survival and returns. Why was the ocean so productive? We’ll speculate down that road soon.

2. Uncompromised habitat throughout Alaska and most certainly in Southeast Alaska is a key ingredient in this success. A fertile ocean only produces big runs when large numbers of juvenile salmon come out of the rivers. The 2013 returns speak to the sustainable value of streams and rivers that flow through of uncut, uncompromised forests.

3. Reasonable harvest management. Alaska Department of Fish and Game seems to have a handle on how many fish can be harvested without compromising escapement goals. Are they perfect? No, but 2013 suggests that they aren’t doing too badly.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
salmonsalmon run
About the author

Captain Tom Ohaus

Related posts
Happy Holidays & Higher Hopes for 2021
December 18, 2020
2020 End of Season Review & 2021 Outlook
October 28, 2020
Great Deals on Flights to Sitka in 2020
January 24, 2020
New Decade
December 13, 2019
The New Boat – Season One Review
November 5, 2019
7 Reasons to Fish Early Season in 2020
November 4, 2019
Leave Comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formSubmit

  • Address
    Angling Unlimited
    Halibut Point Rd
    Sitka, Alaska 99835
  • Phone
    218-732-4744
  • Email
    info@AnglingUnlimited.com

Find us on:

FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestInstagramWebsiteTripAdvisor
  • TripAdvisor
Trip Inquiry
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

Categories
  • Captain Tom's Fishing Report (205)
  • Client Stories (18)
  • eBook (1)
  • Fish of the Month (1)
  • News (67)
  • Photo of the Day (87)
  • Recipes (103)
  • Sitka (12)
  • The Captain's Blog (331)
  • Trivia Tuesday (50)
  • Uncategorized (15)
  • Videos (7)
  • Don’t Miss the Mid-March Miracle of Herring
    February 14, 2023
  • Holiday Wishes from Angling Unlimited
    December 22, 2022
  • Thanksgiving Wishes from Angling Unlimited
    November 22, 2022
  • 2022 End of Season Review
    October 7, 2022

eBook

Fishing Reports, Regulations, Delicious Recipes and Secrets to Fishing from Our Captains.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© 2013-2020 Angling Unlimited

Site by Odd Dog