Fewer salmon expected in 2016 commercial harvest

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Commercial fishermen in Alaska are expected to harvest fewer salmon this year.

The Ketchikan Daily News reports that according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's run forecast and harvest projections, this year's salmon harvest is expected to catch about 161 million statewide, more than 100 million less than in 2015.

Fish and Game officials say the decline is due to fewer pink salmon, which are the backbone of Southeast Alaska's annual commercial salmon landings.

Southeast Alaska's commercial fleets, mostly purse seiners, landed about 35 million pink salmon in...