Record Salmon Return

by Jamal Moss from the Northwest Explorer 

Dr. Jamal Moss holding a pink salmon. Photo by David McGowan.

We haven’t encountered many of our target species thus far, which may be due to distribution further offshore this year. In order to rule out this possibility, we will be sampling additional locations offshore of the survey grid once the southeast grid is complete. However, salmon are very abundant, and we are capturing both juveniles and adults at almost every station. Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists are expecting the fifth largest recorded salmon return this year, and from the looks of it out here, the forecast is probably right.