ADFG Fish Counts

Using ADFG Fish Counts is the best way to understand what’s happening in all the major fisheries around the state. It’s a pretty good bet that Alaska may have the most actively managed fisheries in the world. There is tremendous pressure put on these fisheries by a large number of diverse user groups. These user groups include commercial fishing, subsistence fishing, personal use fishing, and sport fishing to name a few. To make matters even more complex, these fish migrate through international waters which increases management complexity. The best methodology to understand the health of each population is to count the number of returning fish each year – this is what is known as fish counts. ADFG Fish Counts are provided by all the great work Alaska Department of Fish and Game does. 

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game, including federal agencies and non-governmental organizations, operate weirs, towers, and different types of sonar units around the state to count returning salmon populations. As the salmon return each summer, the salmon are counted, literally as close to 1 by 1 as possible, and should projections not meet minimum numbers, or exceed should they be expected to significantly exceed maximum numbers, changes can be administered to restrict or sometimes even liberalize the fisheries.