May 14, 2025 — An early advance from fishery managers shows that Alaska’s 2025 salmon season could be a doozy.
A full report on the 2025 salmon fishery and an overview of the 2024 season should be released any day, but draft projections by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) reveal big increases for all but Chinook salmon.
If the numbers hold true, a statewide salmon catch of nearly 215 million salmon would more than double a 2024 harvest that barely topped 101 million fish.
Here’s the projected harvest breakdown by species with comparisons to the 2024 season.
For sockeye salmon, the forecast calls for a catch of nearly 53 million fish, compared to just over 42 million last year.
For pinks, a huge boost to more than 138 million should hit Alaska fishermen’s nets this summer. In 2024, the pink salmon catch barely topped 40 million fish.