Haines is likely to see an increase in raw fish tax revenue this summer. A higher pink salmon harvest and increased market demand for frozen fish means Ocean Beauty Seafoods plans to scale up production at its Excursion Inlet plant. Excursion Inlet is about 40 miles west of Juneau but is part of the Haines Borough.
Last year, fishermen in Southeast landed around 18 million pink salmon. That was a pretty low harvest, and Haines collected only about $80,000 in raw fish tax. Revenue is likely to rise into the $200,000 range or higher after this summer. The harvest is predicted to be better than the past three years, around 43 million pinks.
“Which is quite a bit higher than last year’s harvest. So we’re gearing up for that,” said Mike Forbush, who oversees Ocean Beauty Seafoods’ Southeast Alaska operations.
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