Alaska's Salmon Harvest Plummets in 2026

0:00It's April 27. From your city to your ears, this is Anchorage News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Alaska's commercial salmon harvest for 2026 is looking way down, forecasted at 125,500,000 fish. That's less than two-thirds of last year's massive haul over 197,000,000. Stay biologist dropped his update last week, marking one of the lowest total since 2000. The big drop comes from Pink Salmon, the smallest and most common type with their two-year cycle. They swing big between even and odd years, and 2025 was a banner odd year run. Officials note this pattern has been sharp lately, hitting pink returns hard this time around. Other species like Sakai, Chum, Koho, and Chinook are down about 11% combined from last year. Chum expected at 17,200,000, Koho at 2,400,000, King's at 197,000, pretty.

1:00Close to 2025 numbers overall, Sakai holding steady in places like Bristol Bay. Regional forecasts show weakness continuing in Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers with no commercial fishing there. Just limited action in Norton Sound and Katsuba. This is commercial only, skipping subsistence in sport catches. fishermen are bracing for the shift, but with ranges built into these estimates, the non-pink side stays in familiar territory, keeping eyes on those. Pink cycles as Alaska's salmon story rolls on.