Southeast Alaska pink and chum test fisheries run below average ahead of peak season

Both Southeast Alaska test fisheries came in below the 10-year average this week, offering an early sign of a below-average run for pink and chum salmon returning to Frederick Sound and lower Stephens Passage. Managers caution that results are still preliminary and will become more conclusive as additional test periods are completed.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released the second update for the 2026 Point Gardner and Kingsmill test fisheries Friday. At both sites, chum and pink salmon harvests fell short of the 2016-2025 average. Pink numbers were too low to calculate a sex ratio at either location.

Point Gardner is a strong indicator for pink salmon returning to Frederick Sound and lower Stephens Passage, particularly District 10. Kingsmill tracks runs heading to Frederick Sound and eastern lower Chatham Strait, though its results are generally less conclusive because the gear catches fish moving both north toward Frederick Sound and south toward Rowan and Tebenkof Bays. Commercial fishers in Section 9-B and District 10 are among those watching these numbers closely, as the results feed into decisions about commercial openings in the region.

Male chum sex ratios of 55 percent at Point Gardner and 57 percent at Kingsmill both ran below historic averages. Petersburg Area Management Biologist Katie Taylor said the pattern points to later-than-normal run timing.

"The below average sex ratio for male chum salmon indicates an earlier than average run timing signifying that we are later in the run than normal; however, run timing indicators will become more conclusive as more test fish periods are conducted," Taylor said.