Chilkat sockeye salmon run bounces back after two poor years

The Chilkat River sockeye run bounced back this summer after two struggling years, according to state data.

The run reached the lower end of the state’s escapement target on Sept. 7, Alaska Department of Fish and Game commercial fisheries biologist Nicole Zeiser told the CVN.

As of Tuesday, escapement was at 85,130 sockeye salmon. The state’s target range for Chilkat Lake escapement is 70,000 to 150,000 fish. Counting at the Chilkat Lake weir is ongoing.