Wild sockeye salmon are running anew in Alaska's famed Copper River, with a preliminary harvest catch at 174,041 reds following an extended fourth opener, but fisheries officials have yet to determine if the overall run will reach its forecast of 2.638 million fish.

If so, that would be significantly over the recent 10-year average and classified as "excellent", with a predicted commercial harvest of around 1.9 million fish.

As of June 3, following an extended 30-hour run, Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Jeremy Botz in Cordova, on Prince William Sound, said an estimated 150-180 boats braved the rain, wind and turbulent seas of the third opener, about half of the fleet still fishing. Botz said weather conditions were having more of an influence this year, making fishing conditions challenging. The agency has not yet determined whether the run overall is below forecast.

Another 12-hour Copper River opener was underway on June 5 in steady rain, with temperatures in the high 40s.

For the same period in 2024, the estimated harvest was about 250,000 sockeyes, but the number of fishing periods and weather conditions varied greatly, Botz said.

The size of those wild sockeyes in 2025 is about five pounds, compared to 5.5 pounds in 2024. Chinooks, again in short supply this year, were averaging 13-14 pounds, the same as a year ago.

Demand for these oil-rich first-of-the-year reds was strong, with retail prices for fillets varying from $16.99 a pound at Anchorage Costco warehouses and $23.99 a pound at Fred Meyer, a Kroger supermarket, to $25.95 a pound at 10th & M, a popular Anchorage seafood shop.