Harvests from the famed Copper River salmon fishery just keep growing, with the harvest totals as of late last week at 8,600 king salmon weighing in at 164,800 pounds, 620,800 sockeye weighing in at 3.7 million pounds, and 10,627 chums, which tipped the scales at 69,400 pounds. The May 26 run alone garnered harvesters 3,300 kings, 166,600 reds and 428 chums, weighing in at 60,700 pounds, 1,009,500 pounds and 3,100 pounds respectively.
10th and M Seafoods in Anchorage was offering over the Internet fresh Copper River sockeye salmon filets for $19.95 a pound and fresh Copper River king salmon fillets for $33.95 a pound, with free shipping on all fresh and frozen orders of 8 pounds or more. In Seattle, the famed Pike Place Fish Market was offering whole Copper River king salmon for $17.99 a pound, Copper River king salmon fillets for $29.99 a pound, whole Copper River sockeye salmon for $69.93 and Copper River sockeye fillets for $15.99 a pound.
The forecast this year is for 1.2 million sockeyes and 9,000 kings, plus some 293,000 cohos, enough to make this one of the most significant harvests there in years.
Most of the kings will be caught through mid-June, while the sockeye run will continue until mid-July and the silvers will run until September.
