May 19, 2024 — Alaska’s 2024 salmon season officially opened on Thursday, 16 May, with the kickoff of the Copper River sockeye fishery.
The 2024 commercial harvest forecasts for the Copper River District, located in the Prince William Sound region, are 1.3 million sockeye salmon, 46 percent above the 10-year average of 893,000 fish, and 47,000 Chinook, which is 2 percent below the 10-year average of 48,000 fish. However, the inside closure area of the Chinook fishery will be closed during early season fishing periods for conservation purposes and may be expanded early in the season to include waters inside the barrier islands east of Coffee Creek, according to Alaska Fish News.