Bristol Bay's 2026 sockeye salmon run continued to build Monday, with the total run approaching 29 million fish as fishermen increasingly reposition toward the Naknek-Kvichak District for the next phase of the season.

According to the latest update from KDLG's Bristol Bay fisheries report, the bay-wide run reached 28.78 million sockeye through July 7, with fishermen harvesting 1.15 million fish on Monday. The cumulative catch now stands at 17.95 million sockeye, while total escapement has climbed to 731,947 fish for the day.

Egegik again led all districts with a daily harvest of 492,817 sockeye, pushing its season catch to 5.94 million fish. The district's total run has now reached 7.5 million fish, nearing its preseason forecast of 8.9 million.

The Nushagak District posted the second-largest daily harvest at 271,431 sockeye, bringing its season catch to 6.62 million fish. The district's total run now stands at nearly 12 million fish, with the Wood, Nushagak and Igushik river systems all meeting or exceeding their escapement objectives.

Ugashik fishermen landed 240,264 sockeye Monday, increasing the district's cumulative harvest to 3.48 million fish. The total run there has reached just over 4.1 million fish.

In the Naknek-Kvichak District, fishermen harvested 138,251 sockeye Monday for a season total of 1.88 million fish. While harvest has lagged behind other districts, effort is expected to increase significantly over the next two days. Vessel registrations show permits in the district climbing from 338 to 482 by Thursday, an increase of nearly 150 permits as crews shift into the fishery.

Bay-wide, 1,475 permits are currently active on 1,048 boats.

The preseason forecast calls for a Bristol Bay harvest of 32.26 million sockeye. With the cumulative catch nearing 18 million fish and the total run approaching 29 million, the fishery has already achieved roughly 89 percent of its projected harvest and about 69 percent of the forecast total run.