August 7, 2025 – Gillnet chum catch numbers were low as we near the end of the run. Sample information from the 8/3 gillnet opener is as follows: Lynn Canal – average weight of 5.1lbs and sex ratio of 34% male and 66% female. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 5% - 5's, 86% - 4's and 9% - 3's. Taku – we were unable to obtain a sample this week from D111. Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 20th of June. Gastineau Channel cost recovery began on the 29th of June. Total harvest to date is 10.4 million pounds. Chum cost recovery via purse seine vessel is now complete for the 2025 season.
Chum egg take at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery started on 7/17. We have collected 128 million eggs to date. We plan to complete chum eggtake tomorrow with a total goal of 135 million chum salmon eggs.
The Speel Lake weir has been installed as of July 11 and we have passed 1,638 sockeye to date.
Cost recovery at Snettisham Hatchery started on the 31st of July. To date, there have only been two days of harvest amounting to just over 11,000 lbs. Based on calendar date, run entry into the hatchery system, and the ADF&G otolith recoveries in the Common Property fisheries, the Snettisham sockeye run is coming in under forecast to-date, and well below historic average returns.
DIPAC produced coho should be showing up in the gillnet and sport catches this coming week through September around the Juneau area. Our preseason forecast is a slightly above average coho return; similar to what we saw in 2024. See the 2025 coho forecast for more details. Coded wire tagged, DIPAC produced coho have been recovered at sport docks & in commercial landings in Gustavus, Sitka & Elfin Cove over the past couple weeks. Although there have been recent changes with Chinook, there have been no changes to the DIPAC coho mark/clip rate. Only 7% of the coho produced by DIPAC are adipose fin clipped and coded wire tagged.
The next update will be Thursday the 14th of August.
July 31, 2025 – Gillnet chum catch numbers were lower than last week as we are nearing the end of the run. The overall run will end up being well above the 2025 forecast of 2.8 million fish, but we will wait for updated numbers from ADF&G before we can fully analyze the return. Based on calendar date, we are likely around 90% through the DIPAC chum return.
Sample information from the 7/27 gillnet opener is as follows: Lynn Canal – average weight of 5.5lbs and the sex ratio data does not match up well with the roe recoveries at the plants. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 4% - 5's, 90% - 4's and 6% - 3's. Taku Inlet – average weight of 5.5 lbs, and sex ratio of 31% male and 69% female. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 6% - 5's, 89% - 4's and 5% - 3's. Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 20th of June. Gastineau Channel cost recovery began on the 29th of June. Total harvest to date is 10.3 million pounds. We plan to have fishing effort through the weekend in Gastineau Channel, and to fish two more days at Amalga to finish up the season (one day this weekend and one day mid next week).
Chum egg take at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery started on 7/17. We have collected 79 million eggs to date. We hope to meet our 135 million egg take goal by mid next week.
The Speel Lake weir has been installed and we have passed 611 sockeye to date.
Snettisham sockeye cost recovery will begin this evening. There’s approximately 5,000 lbs available to harvest today. The Sockeye Cost Recovery graph will be updated tomorrow.
The next update will be Thursday the 7th of August.
July 24, 2025 – Gillnet chum catch numbers remained high this week. With updated catch numbers from ADF&G, we have now surpassed DIPAC’s preseason mid point forecast of 2.8 million chum salmon. Estimated chum catches in D111 are near record high for the Taku Inlet for stat week 30. We have now passed the traditional peak of the run, and sex ratios from all cost recovery & gillnet district samples are showing a heavier female percentage in the catch.
Preliminary sample information from the 7/20 gillnet opener is as follows: Lynn Canal - average weight of 5.9 pounds. The sex ratio data does not match up well with the roe recoveries at the plants. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 8% - 5's, 90% - 4's and 2% - 3's. Taku Inlet – average weight of 5.7 pounds with a sex ratio of 42% male and 58% female. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 2% - 5's, 96% - 4's and 2% - 3's.
Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 20th of June. Gastineau Channel cost recovery began on the 29th of June. Total harvest to date is 9.4 million pounds.
As we are on track to meet our chum cost recovery needs for the season, Amalga Harbor opened today to the common property seine fleet. That fishery is ongoing until 6pm today, and the estimated catch will be posted on the web early next week in the “total chum return to date” file.
Chum egg take at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery started on 7/17. We have collected 44 million eggs to date.
The Speel Lake weir is in place, and we have passed 93 sockeye to date.
Only a few hundred adult sockeye have been seen at Snettisham salmon hatchery. Cost Recovery at Snettisham will start once more fish arrive.
The next update will be Thursday the 31st of July.
July 17, 2025 – Gillnet chum catch numbers remained high in Lynn Canal and in Taku Inlet through the fifth opener of the season. Sample information for the 7/13 opener is as follows: Lynn Canal - average weight of 6.2 pounds and a sex ratio of 57% male and 43% female. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 13% - 5's, 83% - 4's and 4% - 3's. Taku Inlet – average weight of 6.1 and sex ratio of 58% male and 42% female. The age comp was 1% - 6's, 11% - 5's, 86% - 4's and 2% - 3's.
Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 20th of June. Gastineau Channel cost recovery began on the 29th. Total harvest to date is 7.8 million pounds.
Chum egg take at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery started today 7/17. We have collected 7 million eggs to date.
The Speel Lake weir was installed July 11th, and we have passed 0 sockeye to date. The Speel Lake Escapement graph will be updated once we begin to pass fish. Cost recovery at Snettisham will start in the next few weeks’ dependent on fish presence.
The next update will be Thursday the 24th of July.
July 10, 2025 – Gillnet chum catch numbers were well above forecast for this stat week in Taku Inlet and in Lynn Canal for the fourth opener of the season. Sample information for the 7/6 opener is as follows: Lynn Canal – average weight of 6.2 pounds and sex ratio of 60% male and 40% female. The age comp was 1% - 6's, 14% - 5's, 82% - 4's and 3% - 3's. Taku Inlet - average weight of 7.1 pounds and sex ratio of 64% male and 36% female. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 12% - 5's, 87% - 4's and 1% - 3's. Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 20th of June. Gastineau Channel cost recovery began on the 29th. Total harvest to date is 4.2 million pounds.
Chum egg take at Macaulay Salmon Hatchery will start around July 17th.
The Speel Lake weir will be fish tight by July 15th. The Speel Lake Escapement graph will be updated once we begin to pass fish. The ladder is on, but we have seen no adult sockeye to date at Snettisham Hatchery. Checkout the 2025 sockeye forecast for more info on what we expect from this return.
The next update will be Thursday the 17th of July.
July 3, 2025 – Gillnet chum catch numbers were lower than projected for this stat week in Lynn Canal, and slightly above forecast in Taku Inlet in the third opener of the season. Sample information for the 6/29 opener is as follows: Lynn Canal - average weight of 6.6 pounds and sex ratio of 63% male and 37% female. The age comp was 1% - 6's, 30% - 5's, 68% - 4's and 1% - 3's. Taku Inlet – average weight of 7.6 pounds and sex ratio of 75% male and 25% female. The age comp was 1% - 6's, 28% - 5's, 69% - 4's and 2% - 3's.
Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 22nd of June. Cost Recovery began in Gastineau Channel on June 28th. Total harvest to date is just over 2.2 million pounds.
The next update will be Thursday the 10th of July.
June 26, 2025 – Gillnet chum catches remained close to the ten year average for landings in Taku Inlet and slightly below average in Lynn Canal for the second opener of the season.
Sample information from the 6/22 gillnet opener is as follows: Lynn Canal - average weight of 7.0 pounds and a sex ratio of 72% males and 28% females. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 16% - 5's, 84% - 4's and 0% - 3's. Taku Inlet – average weight of 7.6 pounds and a sex ratio of 77% males and 23% females. The age comp was 1% - 6's, 24% - 5's, 75% - 4's and 0% - 3's. Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor started on the 20th of June. We intend to begin chum cost recovery in Gastineau Channel this weekend. Total harvest to date is 800,000 pounds. Chum harvest at Amalga Harbor SHA is well ahead of the projected amount of pounds for this date. At this point in the season, it is too early to tell if the the run is early or if it’s going to be a run larger than projected.
The next update will be Thursday, July 3rd.
June 19, 2025 – Preliminary chum catch numbers are slightly above forecast for Lynn Canal and on par with the forecast for Taku Inlet after the first opener of the season. Sample information from the 6/15 gillnet opener is as follows: Lynn Canal – Average weight of 7.6 pounds and a sex ratio of 76% male and 24% female. The age comp was 0% - 6's, 23% - 5's, 74% - 4's and 3% - 3's. Taku Inlet – Average weight of 7.8 pounds was reported by a processor, but no other sample info was gathered due to low catch numbers. Checkout the 2025 harvest season graphs for more detail on the returns.
Cost recovery at Amalga Harbor will be starting Friday, the 20th of June. We are keeping a close eye on Gastineau Channel with a tentative plan to start cost recovery the week of the 4th of July dependent on fish presence.
The next update will be Thursday the 26th of June.
Preseason Note - The first Gillnet opener of the season is on June 15, 2025.
The first harvest update of the season will be posted by Friday June 20th, 2025.