It's all over

The combative 2010 Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery finished up Friday as seiners came close to maxing out the quota.

Friday's fishing period of two hours and 16 minutes was the fourth and final opener of the season and produced an estimated catch of 4,050 tons, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported.

"This brings the total harvest for the season to 17,743 tons, about 550 tons shy of the season guideline harvest level of 18,293 tons," the department said.

As for violence, we had two vessel collisions sufficient to get the state troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard involved.

The base price negotiated between fishermen and processors prior to the season was $550 per ton, at least $50 less than last season.

Multiply $550 per ton against the 17,743-ton catch and you get a dockside fishery value of $9.8 million.

Of course, herring is all about the roe, or eggs, the female fish carry.

The roe market is almost exclusively in Japan, and depending on demand there, the processors might pay the fishermen a bonus in the coming months.