August 4, 2014 — Commercial harvests of wild Alaska salmon reached some 82,335,000 fish through July 29, including nearly 30 million fish from Prince William Sound.
The statewide preliminary count compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, included 39,966,000 sockeye, 34,244,000 humpies, 6,702,000 chum, 1,032,000 silver and 392,000 Chinook salmon. That was an overall boost of more than 10 million salmon in one week.
The Copper River drift district's catch reached 2,099,000 fish, including 2,039,000 reds, 43,000 chum, 10,000 king, 6,000 pink and 1,000 silver salmon.
Prices for the famed Copper River reds continued to hold at $77.94 for one whole fish or $19.99 a pound for fillets at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle. Online prices of frozen Copper River king fillets at FishEx in Anchorage were $33.71 a pound, while Copper River red fillets were $29.95 a pound.
Costco warehouse stores in Anchorage meanwhile offered customers fresh wild sockeye fillets from other Alaska fisheries for $9.95 a pound, while Fred Meyer stores advertised fresh wild Alaska sockeye salmon fillets for $11.99 a pound.
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