Cooling sea temperatures are impacting Bristol Bay salmon harvests

A new forecast from the University of Washington supports earlier predictions from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) suggesting that this summer's Bristol Bay sockeye harvest will be average in size.

During a Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) online webinar Thursday, Chris Boatright, a salmon program manager and research scientist with the University of Washington, predicted nearly 45 million sockeye are expected back to Bristol Bay this summer. Researchers expect an inshore harvest of nearly 31 million sockeye.