Photo: ASMI - Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

ASMI: 2025 Weekly Alaska Salmon Harvest Update #13

Alaska's 2025 Salmon Season: A Mixed Harvest with Regional Highs and Lows

The 2025 commercial salmon season in Alaska is drawing to a close, with a mixed but overall strong performance

JUNEAU, ALASKA—The statewide harvest has reached 183 million fish, or 86% of the annual projection, as of statistical week 36. While the overall numbers are positive, a closer look at regional and species-specific data reveals a season of stark contrasts.

Harvest Through 9/6/2025 (Statistical Week 36). Click on the image to enlarge it

Harvest Highlights:

• Sockeye: The harvest of sockeye salmon, a key species for Bristol Bay and the Copper River, has reached 98% of its annual projection.

• Coho: Coho salmon harvests have also been exceptionally strong, reaching 84% above the 2024 season, which was the smallest in at least 30 years. This strong showing is a welcome development for the industry.

• Keta Salmon: The statewide keta harvest is 13% above 2024 levels, largely due to a remarkable 211% year-over-year increase in Prince William Sound and strong harvests in the Alaska Peninsula. This has successfully offset a 21% decline in the Southeast keta harvest. The keta harvest peaked early this year in week 28, a different pattern from previous years.

• Pink Salmon: The pink salmon harvest, the largest contributor to the overall volume, has been a major concern. At 112 million fish, it is 24% below the 2023 harvest. This decline is even more pronounced in key areas like Cook Inlet, which saw an 84% reduction from 2023 levels. The Kodiak region was the only area to show year-over-year growth, with a 36% increase in harvest, although this potential was curbed by a diesel spill in the Afognak district.

Regional Challenges and Market Dynamics

A diesel spill from the grounded fishing vessel Sea Ern in Izhut Bay near Kodiak on September 1, 2025, forced a closure of the fishery in two sections of the Afognak district. Approximately 3,500 gallons of diesel were released, and the U.S. Coast Guard and a contracted cleanup crew are responding to the incident.

Despite the strong harvest numbers for some species, the Alaska seafood industry has faced significant economic challenges. Reports from the Alaska State Legislature indicate the industry has been grappling with a "perfect storm" of collapsing fish prices, rising operational costs, and stiff competition from foreign producers. The low volume of pink salmon, in particular, has not resulted in a price increase, with some processors buying pinks for a meager $0.25 per pound, a price that is considered "loss-making for most of the fleet."

Click on the image to enlarge it

Average Fish Weights

The preliminary average weights for the 2025 season are as follows:

• Bristol Bay drift gillnet sockeye: 4.91 lbs.

• Copper River drift gillnet sockeye: 5.29 lbs.

• Northern Southeast fisheries: Chinook 10.7 lbs., coho 5.0 lbs., keta 6.6 lbs., sockeye 4.7 lbs., pink 3.9 lbs.

• Southern Southeast fisheries: Chinook 12.2 lbs., coho 5.0 lbs., keta 8.3 lbs., sockeye 5.4 lbs., pink 3.6 lbs.

Source: 

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