Traditionally, this would be the part of the season where 70 plus boats pack into a little known area on the back side of Sitka, battling for chum salmon. In 2007, I participated in the cost recovery fishery for NRSAA. That season, the fish were plentiful. This year is a much different story. Enjoy the audio link after the jump… Here’s a great pic of the F/V Harvestor from cost recovery 2007. That’s about a 60,000 pound set.
Returns of dog salmon to the Hidden Falls Hatchery on Baranof Island have been lower than the pre-season forecast. The total return to the Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association’s hatchery was expected to be 1.6 million chums.