Fish Factor: Sockey resource at Bristol Bay is unique due to size

With so many salmon fisheries occurring across Alaska each year, why is there always so much hoopla about Bristol Bay?

It can be summed up in a single word: sockeye.

“The sockeye resource at Bristol bay is unique because of its size,” said Andy Wink, Senior Seafood Analyst at the Juneau-based McDowell Group. “Typically, it’s 35 to 40 percent of the global sockeye supply, and it is a huge chunk of Alaska’s overall salmon value. Preliminary data for 2016 show about 38 percent of Alaska’s total salmon value came out of Bristol Bay, and even more if you add in the Alaska Peninsula.”

The size of th...