The Chilkoot sockeye run was exceptionally strong this year, but Chilkat sockeye stocks have struggled for the second year in a row, and biologists aren’t sure why.
The final escapement estimate for Chilkoot sockeye was 98,672—well beyond the state’s target range of 38,000 to 86,000 fish, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Nicole Zeiser. Over the last 10 years, an average of 82,000 sockeye have made the annual run up Chilkoot…