Alaska's salmon season cannot be described by one number alone. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) reports commercial harvests, regional runs and forecasts, each answering a different question. A harvest counts fish caught; a run estimate describes returning fish more broadly. A forecast looks ahead, while a catch limit sets a management boundary. Keeping those measures separate helps explain how a large statewide harvest can coexist with low returns in particular rivers.
The 2025 Harvest by Species
In its April 2026 season review announcement, ADF&G reported approximately 197.4 million salmon commercially harvested across Alaska in 2025. The published species figures were:
- Sockeye: 52.7 million fish
- Pink: 120 million fish
- Chum: 21.7 million fish
- Coho: 2.7 million fish
- Chinook: 201,000 fish
These figures belong to the April review. Pink salmon accounted for the largest number of fish in that species breakdown. ADF&G described the pink harvest as well distributed across Southeast, Central and Westward regions, while Bristol Bay remained Alaska's largest sockeye-producing area. The statewide figures describe commercial harvest, so they should not be read as the number of salmon returning to every Alaska river.
Preliminary Harvest Value
ADF&G's separate November 2025 preliminary summary valued the commercial salmon harvest at about $541 million. Sockeye represented about 58% of that value. Those financial estimates are distinct from the April review's fish counts. The November release says its dollar figures use estimated exvessel prices and exclude post-season price adjustments; they are preliminary figures, rather than a final account of payments to fishermen.
Bristol Bay's 2025 Sockeye Run
ADF&G's April 2026 forecast and season report records a 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye run of 56.7 million fish. That was 14% above the preseason inshore forecast of 49.8 million fish. The commercial sockeye harvest was 41.3 million fish, 23% above the recent 20-year average of 33.6 million fish across the districts.
The run and harvest are separate measures of the same season. The report also gives an average sockeye weight of 5.1 pounds, slightly above the recent five-year average of 4.9 pounds. However, weight at age was below average for most age classes. The overall average and the comparison within age groups therefore tell different parts of the story.
Where Runs Fell Short: Nushagak and Yukon Chinook
Bristol Bay's sockeye figures do not describe the condition of its Chinook stocks. In 2025, the Nushagak River Chinook inriver run index at Portage Creek sonar was 34,322 fish. That was below the sustainable escapement goal range of 55,000 to 120,000 fish and the inriver goal of 95,000 fish.
On the Yukon, the preliminary Eagle sonar passage estimate was about 23,863 Chinook, the third-lowest season total and short of the 71,000-fish U.S./Canada border objective. Chinook fishing remained closed throughout the Yukon Area in 2025, and no commercial fishing occurred during either the summer or fall season. A strong sockeye season in one region does not remove the need to examine these separate Chinook measures.
The 2026 Forecast
ADF&G forecast an Alaska commercial salmon harvest of about 125.5 million fish for 2026, if realized. Its species projections include 56 million pink, 49.7 million sockeye, 17.2 million chum and 2.4 million coho. These are forecasts, not reported season results.
Bristol Bay's 2026 sockeye total run forecast has a point estimate of 45.32 million fish and an 80% confidence interval of 31.12 to 59.52 million fish. That regional run forecast should be kept separate from the statewide commercial harvest forecast. ADF&G also expected no Yukon Chinook harvest in any fishery in 2026 and forecast a Yukon drainagewide fall chum run of 311,000 fish, below the average run of 950,000 fish.
Southeast Alaska's Treaty Chinook Limit
Under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, ADF&G's March 2026 announcement set Southeast Alaska's preseason all-gear catch limit at 207,400 treaty Chinook. ADF&G's target was 205,300 fish, including a 1% reduction as a buffer against exceeding the treaty limit. The commercial troll target was 146,000 fish.
The limit uses an abundance index from the Pacific Salmon Commission Chinook model. It is a management limit, rather than a prediction that the full number will be caught. For broader context on fishing methods and regions, see the Alaska fishing guide; for the Yukon agreement and its scope, read about Yukon River salmon.