A sixth straight weak week points to a below-average chum run near Petersburg

Chum harvests in Frederick Sound and lower Stephens Passage came in below average for a sixth straight week, Fish and Game said, as the Point Gardner and Kingsmill test fisheries wrapped up for 2026. The results are the last read on run strength before District 10 and Section 9-B fishermen finish the season without further test data.

"This is the sixth statistical week with generally below average chum salmon harvests, which indicates a below average chum salmon run," said area biologist Katie Taylor. Chum on the final Point Gardner day averaged 33 fish per set, against a long-term average of 192. Kingsmill's last day averaged 29, against 139.

Pinks were less settled. Harvests were well below average for the first four weeks, rose to average or better in the fifth, then slipped back on the final Point Gardner day. The department read the early pink run as very weak and the middle run as possibly compressed and below average.

Sex-ratio sampling, which managers use to judge timing, pointed to an earlier-than-normal chum run and, for pinks, later-than-normal timing that fell off in the final week. The final Point Gardner sampling found 47% male pinks and 57% male chum; Kingsmill found 59% male pinks and 49% male chum.

Average weights at Point Gardner were 3.6 pounds for pinks and 6.6 pounds for chum. Both test fisheries have closed for the season.