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The crew of the F/V Dr. Jack is working hard to catch your dinner. After a bit of a delay getting the boat into the water, the crew is now right outside the small village of Egegik (population 109), where they'll stay the remainder of the season. Mike reports decent early fishing and that he's resting up after pulling some late nights to get the boat ready to fish.
The boat underwent a major makeover this winter, so it was barged up from Bellingham, Washington to Naknek, Alaska, a remote village where the many Bristol Bay fisherman spend the beginning of the season preparing their boats. We all kept our fingers crossed that it would make it before the fish arrived. Traditionally, the peak of the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run is around July 4th, but the fish come when they want to, and if you don't have a boat in the water when they do, you have a real problem on your hands.
The past couple of years, the peak fishing of the season has been about 10 days late. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game does their best to predict the timing and strength of the run, but alas, it's fishing!
Right now, the guys are fishing about every other day. After each opener (when fishermen are allowed to fish for a specific amount of time), the Department of Fish and Game evaluates the amount of fish caught and the amount of fish that escaped, called escapement. Each year, they set escapement goals to keep our fisheries sustainable. Once those goals are met, we're allowed to fish more often, but until then, we typically fish every other day or so for 8 hours. Once escapement is met, we're often fishing around the clock. This excellent management will keep our fisheries sustainable for generations to come.
This year, Fish and Game has predicted an above average salmon run in Bristol Bay, but a weak run throughout the rest of the state. It's likely there won't be as much wild salmon on the market this year as the last couple of years. Another good reason to make sure you have a freezer full of delicious, healthy fish!
If you already placed a preorder for sockeye salmon and would like to add halibut, cod, or smoked salmon to your order, reply to this email and we'll get you taken care of. We only have about 60 lbs. of halibut left. If you know you'd like some in September, be sure to order soon.
Thank you for choosing us as your fishing family and source of premium wild Alaska salmon,
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