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Salmon season is over, and the numbers are in: Alaska caught the second-most salmon ever, 263.5 million fish. Southeast’s share of that catch was smaller than expected, at 46.2 million fish. That catch is illustrated in this infographic. Each fish silhouette represents 100,000 caught commercially this summer. Kings are in green, silvers in silver, chums in brown, pinks in pink and sockeye in red. Each fish’s silhouette is sized according to its average catch weight this year. Catch is only half the story, however. Thanks to a global glut of salmon, this year’s near-record catch is worth less than last year’s near-average one. It’s as if a shark has taken a bite out of the market.
Market bites
Fishermen caught much more salmon this year than last, but each fish was worth much less, so the higher catch doesn’t mean much to the bottom line statewide.
