Back to AKPM

Hatcheries By the Numbers

Billions of fish, millions of dollars, thousands of fishermen…numbers can help tell the story of North Pacific salmon hatcheries.
sunset and full fish hold
Rafael de la Uz

  • In 2024, hatcheries released more than five billion young salmon into the North Pacific. Where do all of those hatchery fish come from?

    Alaska: 1.9 billion
    Russia: 1.6 billion
    Japan: 1.2 billion
    U.S. Pacific Northwest: 322 million
    Canada: 192 million
    Korea: 10.2 million

  • Portion of total salmon biomass in the North Pacific made up of hatchery fish: about 40%
pile of salmon on ice
Rafael de la Uz

  • According to a report prepared for the Alaska hatchery industry by the McKinley Research Group that summarizes data from 2018-2023:
    Number of Alaska fishermen (permit holders and crew members) who earn at least some of their income from hatchery salmon each year: 7,500
    Hatchery annual contributions to Alaska fish taxes: $3 million
    Average economic output of Alaska hatcheries each year: $576 million
    Portion of the value of Alaska’s annual salmon harvest made up by hatchery fish: 16%

  • What a hatchery pink salmon sold for in Prince William Sound in 2024: $0.26/pound
    What a wild sockeye salmon sold for in Prince William Sound in 2024: $1.91/pound

--Miranda Weiss