More than 63 million sockeye have returned to Bristol Bay this year, through July 20, making it the largest sockeye run since recordkeeping began in 1893! This breaks the previous record of 62.95 million fish set in 2018.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 39.0 million fish through July 21. A total of 378,000 sockeye were harvested yesterday in Bristol Bay.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 38.7 million fish through July 20. A total of 350,000 sockeye were harvested yesterday in Bristol Bay. This year’s harvest is fading earlier than recent years, and although the harvest has exceeded the pre-season forecast it’s possible that the total number of sockeye caught in 2021 will fall below the previous 5-year average of 40.2 million fish.

"With high demand for both wild and farmed salmon, we're not surprised to see ex-vessel prices increase a lot over last year," he told IntraFish. "Last year was really a 'black swan' type of event, but in the couple years prior to the pandemic the base ex-vessel price for Bristol Bay sockeye was $1.26-$1.35/pound."

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 38.0 million fish through July 18. Harvests have fallen off sharply over the past four days.

In case you missed them, you can catch our latest episode where we discuss salmon research with scientists from the Alaska Salmon Program

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 36.4 million fish through July 15. The harvest was 1.36 million fish yesterday.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 35.1 million fish through July 14. The harvest was 1.56 million fish yesterday.

The State of Alaska has recently released preliminary estimates for final Bristol Bay sockeye prices harvested in the 2020 season and first wholesale sales of primary product forms through April 2021. These data allow for a reasonable approximation of total fishery value and allocation between the harvesting and processing sectors, and provide clues about ex-vessel pricing in 2021.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 33.5 million fish through July 13. The harvest was 2.41 million fish yesterday, which is about 670,000 fish higher than the average July 13 harvest.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 31.0 million fish through July 12. The harvest was 2.35 million fish yesterday, which is about 550,000 fish higher than the average July 12 harvest and bigger than any July 12th harvest registered in each of the past five years.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 28.7 million fish through July 11. In general, the pace of harvests has softened over the past several days (except Ugashik). However, some big Port Moller catches have been registered within the past week, so the expectation is that there’s still plenty of harvest yet to come.

The 2021 Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 26.7 million fish through July 10.

The Bristol Bay sockeye harvest stands at 25.1 million fish through July 9.

Starting today, BBRSDA is providing current harvest data and context for our fleet, marketing partners, and media members.

Yesterday’s harvest of 1,773,000 sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay’s Nushagak District was the largest single-day harvest ever recorded, narrowly eclipsing the previous record set on June 30, 2018.

BRISTOL BAY, Alaska. June 30, 2021 - Retailers across the U.S. are gearing up to bring fresh Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon to eager customers this summer. Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon’s marketing program has set up promotions in 10 retail chains.

Early indicators are pointing to yet another strong year in the massive Bristol Bay sockeye fishery, which is contrasted against the continued struggles in many of the state’s other large salmon fisheries (image credit: Alaska Journal of Commerce).

This season, the Port Moller Test Fishery has a new genetic testing lab on board the R/V Ocean Cat. Researchers say the lab is the first of its kind.

The first episode of Waypoints Radio, which aired June 24, featured special guest Robert Reierson from Tradex Foods, who joined BBRSDA's Michael Jackson and Andy Wink to discuss current market conditions, and also provided information about how fishermen can help BBRSDA meet its mission of creating a more valuable fishery.