A strong chum salmon return and higher prices gave Southeast Alaska fishermen access to the Neets Bay Hatchery fishery this summer for the first time since 2018.
About 30 boats gathered for the Aug. 8 commercial opener at Neets Bay, roughly 30 air miles from Ketchikan, according to KFSK. The hatchery, operated by the Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (SSRAA), saw enough returning chum this year to open fishing to seiners, gillnetters and trollers.
Petersburg fisherman and SSRAA board member Bob Martin told KFSK the opening turned into one of his best fishing days of the summer. After initially questioning what the bay would produce, Martin said his net quickly filled with salmon. By late morning, he had more than 5,500 pounds to unload to a tender.
The timing was particularly favorable for fishermen. Chum prices averaged around $1.50 per pound this year, compared with roughly 60 cents per pound in 2025. With Neets Bay chum averaging about 8 to 10 pounds, the combination of strong returns and higher prices made the opening a welcome addition to the season.
Hatchery fish play a major role in Southeast Alaska's chum fishery, accounting for more than 90 percent of the region's chum harvest. Alaska Department of Fish and Game data put the average annual value of Southeast's chum season at nearly $59 million from 2013 through 2023.
SSRAA General Manager Tessa Frost said the organization uses local broodstock at its hatcheries in an effort to maintain genetic diversity. The association has also entered into a 10-year moratorium with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game commissioner under which it will not increase chum salmon releases amid broader concerns about hatchery production and interactions between hatchery and wild salmon.
For Martin, the reopening provided a profitable day but not necessarily something fishermen can expect every season.
“Overall, this one good day isn’t a huge percentage of my season,” Martin told KFSK. “So this was sort of a nice bonus, but not something I’m counting on to happen again.”
