May 16, 2016 — Alaska’s salmon season has started with optimism, a far cry from the bleak feelings a year ago when the fishery was blown asunder by a perfect storm of depressed currencies, salmon backlogs and global markets awash with farmed fish.
Prices to fishermen fell nearly 41 percent between 2013 and 2015, years which produced the two largest Alaska salmon harvests on record.
But in the past six months, those trends have turned around.
“Based on current market conditions and harvest expectations, it appears probable that prices will begin improving in 2016 and there is an excellent chance total ex-vessel (dockside) value will rebound in 2017,” said the Salmon Market Information Service report just released by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. A salmon industry analysis, data on harvest and a forecast are parts of the report.