What's holding up Copper River salmon this year?

That is the question researchers, commercial fishermen, eager buyers and consumers are all asking right now, with some longtime Alaska fishermen describing the start of this season as the worst they have experienced in decades.

Peter Rand, a research psychologist with Prince William Sound Science Center in Alaska who studies Copper River salmon, told IntraFish a few concerning trends appear to be playing a role in the weakness of the run so far this season.