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Alaska Salmon

Fishery: Five salmon species have been certified:
sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka)
chum (Oncorhynchus keta)
chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha)

Status:
The certification body, Moody Marine Ltd., has announced that the Alaska Salmon fisheries will shortly be undergoing an annual surveillance audit.

During the audit Moody Marine will be speaking with representatives of the fishery, fishery management bodies and other stakeholders. Most meetings will be carried out over the period 19th – 23rd May 2008 in Anchorage.

Should you have any information on this fishery that you feel should be considered in the assessment, or if you would like to arrange a meeting please contact Moody Marine directly.

Please refer to the announcement in the downloads section for further details.

Last Updated: 28 April 2008

Location:
The Alaska salmon fishery occurs within the US territorial waters adjacent to the coast of the State of Alaska.

Fishing Method:
Salmon are harvested by nets (drift and set gillnets, purse seine), trolling and fishwheels.

Management:
The fishery occurs within management districts delineated by the Board of Fisheries (BOF) and is managed by staff of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG). The Alaska state constitution requires that the salmon habitat is conserved and protected. Today, this constitutional requirement as well as effective management has brought the salmon fishery to health. In 1959, statewide salmon harvests were about 25 million salmon a year. In 1999 (forty years later) Alaska's commercial salmon catch was 214 million fish, the second largest in the state's history. The legislation includes establishing open and closed seasons;setting quotas, bag limits, harvest limits, sex and size limitations;establishing the methods and means employed in the pursuit, capture and transport of fish;watershed and habitat improvement, management, conservation, protection, use, disposal, propagation and stocking of fish;regulating commercial, sport, guided sport, subsistence, and personal use fishing as needed for the conservation, development, and utilisation of fisheries.

Fishing Season:
The fishing season runs from May to September.

Main commercial market:
Numerically, pink salmon predominate in the harvest, comprising more than one-half of the statewide harvest. Roughly one-fourth of the harvest is sockeye salmon, followed by chum, coho and chinook salmon. In product value, sockeye salmon has always been the primary species. In recent years more than 80 percent has been sold whole or eviscerated. Seventy-five percent of the fresh or frozen product is exported with Japan purchasing about 80 percent. The canned product is sold primarily within Europe and the United States although more recently fresh and smoked product has been more widely available in these markets.

Assessment details:
The assessment took 18 months and the certification was awarded in September 2000. Reassessment began in February 2005.

Client and contact:
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Contact: David Bedford
PO Box 25526
Juneau, Alaska 99802-5526
USA
Tel: +1 (0)907 465 4100
Email: david_bedford@fishgame.state.ak.us

Certification Body:
Moody Marine Ltd
Moody International Certification
28 Fleming Drive
Halifax
Nova Scotia
B3P1A9
CANADA
Contact: Paul Knapman
Tel/Fax: +1 902 477 4208
Email: p.knapman@moodyint.com
Web Site: www.moodymarine.com