State predicts 28.5 million Bristol Bay sockeye

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today issued its 2011 forecast for Bristol Bay, and state biologists predict a commercial catch of 28.5 million sockeye salmon.

That's close to 1 million fish more than what the University of Washington Fisheries Research Institute predicted this week.

If either outlook holds true, it should be another fine season for fishermen and processors involved in the world's top sockeye fishery.