Commercial salmon gillnetters in the Upper Lynn Canal had a pretty unanimous assessment of the 2023 season: encouraging fish runs, but dismal prices.

"It's still worth it, but it's a struggle," said Gregg Bigsby, a 50-year veteran of the fishery. "Everybody's got a job this winter."

Low prices – about half of what they were last year – kept many fishermen at home. The price Haines Packing Company paid for chum salmon bottomed out at 30 cents per pound at the end of the season.

"This is the biggest drop I've seen since I've been in the business," said Harry Rietze, who has owned Haines Packing since 2007.

Nearly 170 permit holders fished this year in the Upper Lynn Canal, about a quarter less than the 10-year average. Even gillnetters that participated fished shorter windows than usual. Area fish biologist Nicole Zeiser said during the last opening in the beginning of October, just three boats fished.

Steve Fossman, another longtime Haines-area gillnetter, said fishing felt different this year.

"Sometimes I'd be the only boat you'd see around. That's not normal," he said.

Still, some fishermen found silver linings in the silver – or coho – and chum runs. Alaska Department of Fish and Game's fish wheels on the Chilkat River pulled in 6,700 cohos, the highest catch since at least 1990. The chum run was the highest catch ever in the fish wheels, leading to a projected escapement of 795,000, more than 10 times the lower end of biologists' goal, which Zeiser called a "very good" indication that stocks are healthy.

The coho and chum runs also represented a regional trend for Southeast Alaska, said Fish and Game research supervisor Andy Piston, who is based in Ketchikan.

"Runs have been fantastic this season," Piston said. "The only area we had a little weakness was on the outer coast."

He said overall, the chum salmon harvest this year is close to an all-time record, even with fewer boats than usual. While it's not exactly clear why the returns are so good, Piston said it seems to be driven by good survival rates while the fish were at sea. Salmon in Southeast Alaska generally spend one to five years feeding in the Gulf of Alaska, depending on the species.

Piston said this year was the first year that ocean temperatures had been normal for the entirety of the salmonlife cycle after a patch of warm water disrupted the ecosystem beginning in 2014. The event, known as "the Blob," warmed ocean temperatures by several degrees, but has since subsided. Zooplankton, which is the basis for the marine ecosystem, appeared to be bountiful this year based on coastal monitoring surveys, Piston said.

Piston said this year, the temperatures appear within one degree of historic averages. Assuming that holds, high fish returns might continue.

"If it stays like this, there's no reason to think we shouldn't have good runs next year, too," said Piston.

There was also encouraging news for chinook harvests. Chinook, or king salmon, has been listed as a "stock of concern" by ADF&G managers since 2018. Biologists said this year, they appeared to meet escapement goals in most areas, including in the Chilkat River.

Zeiser said the healthy returns can be attributed at least in part to commercial fishing restrictions that were implemented several years ago. They include limiting the hours by closing the fishery at night, limiting the size of the gillnet mesh to six inches, and restricting areas where fishing is allowed to keep nets closer to shore. Zeiser said 344 king salmon were harvested this year in the fishery, well below historic average of 1,129.

"It's very good news," said Zeiser. "It shows that our restrictions are working."

Still, the overall picture for commercial fishermen is far from optimistic. This year's price drops were largely driven by a glut in sockeye and chum salmon that flooded the market. That is likely to last at least into next year, said Rietze. Longtimers say they expect even fewer boats to fish next year as fishermen look for ways to ride out the latest wave of price fluctuations.

"It's tough. You plan for price drops in previous years, but most guys will find other things to do. You got to get creative," Fossman said.