The cumulative wild sockeye salmon harvest through the end of July in Bristol Bay, Alaska, currently sits at 44 million fish, surpassing the forecast of 37 million. As anticipated, this season’s bountiful returns make 2023 one of the top five harvest seasons of the past two decades. This year’s salmon fishery will continue into August, with the final harvest numbers certain to increase further.
Bristol Bay is known as “America’s Wild Sockeye Source,” and is home to the largest wild salmon run on the planet, producing half the world’s supply of wild sockeye.
“The strong harvests out of Bristol Bay in recent years are a testament to the responsible fisheries management of Alaska and the Bristol Bay fishing industry including fishermen, biologists, local community and seafood processors, and speak to the health and thriving future of the wild sockeye in the region,”according to Lilani Dunn, marketing director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA).
The bountiful harvest means that shoppers will continue to find a solid supply of the distinctive ruby-red fish throughout restaurants and in the freezer aisles and seafood cases of grocery stores, as well as in shelf-stable forms including cans and pouches for the year ahead. Many Bristol Bay fishermen freeze their catch right as it leaves the water, locking in nutrients, reducing food waste and ensuring the highest quality final product reaches consumers’ plates year-round.
“It takes thousands of dedicated people laboring through long workdays, unpredictable weather, sore muscles, blistered hands, mechanical problems and more to make a harvest like this happen, year after year,” said Andy Wink, executive director of BBRSDA. “We’re proud to be able to provide delicious wild sockeye salmon that is not only rich in nutrients, but is also guaranteed to be sustainably caught and one of the most environmentally friendly protein sources on the planet.”
Salmon is the most-consumed fish species in the United States, and is increasingly a primary component of trending recipes via social media. The firm texture of sockeye makes it suitable grilling, broiling, sautéing, roasting, poaching, steaming and smoking.
