Cook Inlet permits got quite a bit of attention this week, with two drift permit sales at $25,000 and more interested buyers. A power troll permit also sold this week at $22,000, on par with other recent sales. New offers include $132,000 for a Bristol Bay drift permit (down from last week's sale at $135,000, but on par with the sale before that at $132,000) and $7,000 for a Kodiak Tanner to 60' EMT, where the numbers are looking good for a January opener with an anticipated GHL in the 2-3 million pound range (about half of last year's).

ADFG published their preliminary harvest and value numbers for the 2023 salmon season and it's... exactly as depressing as I expected it to be. The statewide harvest of 230.2 million salmon is a 43% increase from 2022, however the statewide ex-vessel value of $398.6 million was a 45% decrease from last year. In all, 5,577 individual permit holders delivered salmon this year, down about 9% from 2022. This year's statewide harvest was the fourth highest on record for total fish harvested, and the seventh highest on record for total pounds harvested. That's pretty amazing. But, adjusted for inflation, this year's statewide ex-vessel value was the sixth lowest since 1975. That's pretty not amazing. 

ADFG also published season summaries for the Kodiak and Upper Cook Inlet salmon fisheries.

The 2023 Southeast Alaska drift gillnet and purse seine task force meetings will be held November 28 and December 1, respectively. If there's something you'd like discussed, put in your two cents by November 8. 

Reminders:

ATTN COOK INLET DRIFT FISHERMEN: (don't tune out, this is important!) NMFS is looking for comments on the proposed federal management of the Cook Inlet fishery occurring in the EEZ (federal waters). The proposal would mean some pretty massive changes for the fishery. Here's the gist of it. 

ICYMI: here's the 2023/2024 proposal book for regular cycle Board of Fish meetings on Upper Cook Inlet, Lower Cook Inlet, and Kodiak finfish.