Commercial salmon trollers in Southeast are done with their first king opening of the summer.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that king salmon trolling closed just before midnight on Friday July 5th. The fleet was expected to reach a harvest target of 56,000 chinook by then.
It was a shorter opening than last summer’s, which had two weeks of fishing time.
King salmon are managed under the Pacific Salmon Treaty between the U.S. and Canada. The harvest target is set based on that agreement. Trollers may have a second king opening later this summer to harvest the fleet’s remaining allocation. In the meantime, they’ll be out fishing for chum and coho around the region. There are also a few hatchery areas still open to fishing for all species.
Fish and Game reports the average price for troll caught kings is $5.26 a pound, while coho are fetching $1.54 a pound and fifty cents a pound for chum.
