This season has been a roller coaster. Bristol Bay is always exciting, and this year is no exception.
Having down time is not typical in July. Usually, the sockeye salmon run peaks on July 4th, but by July 10th, there still weren't as many fish as usual in the Egegik district. This is where we fish.
There are four main river systems in Bristol Bay- Naknek/Kvichak, Ugashik, Egegik, and Nushagak. While the crew hung out and waited for the fish to hit Egegik, fishing in other Bristol Bay districts, the Nushagak river in particular, was off the charts. Records were broken left and right! The guys had to wait for the fish to come to Egegik... and tried not to listen to reports of record breaking years elsewhere.
This is fishing. It's all about being in the right place at the right time. Fishermen also work around district openings, which are the allotted times fishery managers allow fishing, in order to keep Bristol Bay sockeye salmon sustainable and plentiful. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game tracks every fish that passes through the river. Once they're happy with the amount that makes it through the fishermens' nets (called escapement), they open the district to fishing 24-7. As of Sunday, Egegik escapement has been met, and fishing is non-stop. Yesterday was a big day on the boat, and things have really started to pick up.
This time of the year, we are especially thankful for the fishery managers that do such a great job to make sure these salmon runs return year after year. The big picture is keeping Alaska fisheries sustainable for generations to come. These are the people that make it happen. We've fished for a long time, but seeing these massive returns of salmon to the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery never gets old.
There's still time to preorder a share of our catch! Don't miss out on delicious wild Alaska sockeye salmon, smoked salmon, cod, and halibut.
If you preordered, be sure to add info@smartsourceseafood.com to your contacts list, so you won't miss any shipping notices.
All preorders ship after our fishing season ends in September.
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