Monday, April 11, 2011

It's all over at Sitka

The Sitka sac roe herring fishery is done for the season as seiners reached the full quota Saturday after a fifth and final opener.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is estimating the cumulative catch at 19,636 tons.

The "guideline harvest level" coming into the season was 19,490 tons.

So this is really interesting. The industry has taken all the fish it could, despite the considerable uncertainty in disaster-wracked Japan, the only serious market for herring roe.

Reliable information on herring prices at Sitka has been scarce. The reason could be that prices simply don't exist yet pending some sense of what the market is willing to pay.

Naturally, Deckboss is aiming to find out more.

20 comments:

  1. this could be the biggest heist in modern history. taking fish with no price posted.

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  2. So they fuels been bought, the crew worked, and the fish caught....When they gonna get paid?

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  3. after the fish are sold, or never.

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  4. "taking fish with no price," welcome to bristol bay!

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  5. any number can be attached to the price now, and effect taxes paid to the state, money paid to harvesters.
    with no control now, whoever is effected should be livid over this.

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  6. Anonymous is livid and he hasn't ever touched a herring!

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  7. 8 miles of spawn so far,a long ways from the 80 miles in 2010.Are some of us worried?You bet.Its usally much more by now.

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  8. it used to be 100 miles plus of spawn, eggs on the shore so thick that it would support an oar upright if you pushed it down into the eggs. and during any part of this time, never was there 19,000 tons of herring taken in Sitka. it will be interesting to see how many miles of spawn this year brings.

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  9. Always hear commercial fishers crying about the price paid for seafood products. If you do not like the price, do not sell to the buyer, it is simple as that. Or better yet start up your own processor, buy your own fish & see how you do selling to the market.
    Oh, and by the way, I have been an Alaskan commercial fisher for 34 years.

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  10. Do you own trident or something?

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  11. I concur completely with the post two spots above. For some reason commercial fishermen haven't figured out yet that this is a supply and demand business. Fishermen are 100% in control of the price they are paid for their fish. If you don't like the price withhold the supply which will increase the demand (if you have a commercially viable product) which will in turn allow you to demand a higher price for your fish. It is very simple, it's only as complicated as you make it. There are some that will argue "Well, fishermen need to feed their families too." I say tough luck. You shouldn't have leveraged yourself into a position in which you don't have a choice other than to take what is offered. If you don't like the price don't sell your fish. Not complicated at all.

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  12. Funny that you mention we should tie up. Some of my friends tied up one time to wait for a better price. I didn't have too though, I fished for enjoyment and earned plenty of it regardless. Also was fishing for Pacific Seafood at the time. My nickname was Scab that month.

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  13. If somethings not payed for, you gotta fish man.

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  14. If you GOTTA fish to pay the bills then great, go fishing. But you don't get to complain about low prices for your catch. Take some responsibility, don't put yourself in a position where you have to accept a price you aren't happy with.

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  15. Dear 1^

    If you were giving blowjobs on the regular and your usual price was say...20 dollars (classy) and then I came and splooged in your mouth and only gave you 15, you would be pissed, correct?

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  16. Wouldn't happen. I'd make you pay up front. Or in the fish price situation I'd get a price BEFORE I went fishing. No price agreement, no fish. Simple. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.

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  17. Roger roger,

    Moral of the story, never give a blowjob/go fishing without getting paid up front (or at least settling on a price).

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  18. time pondering whether to fish or not: none

    time pondering permit values: what is a permit value?

    southeast sac roe herring permit: $60.00

    look on processors face: priceless

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  19. Did you all know that you get more money per ton if you fished the herring for bait instead of sac roe? Bait herring is $0.22 - $0.27 per pound while sac roe is fetching a whopping $0.05 a pound!!! What a wasteful fishery - you need to step into the 21st century.

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  20. Yes, but is there a demand for that volume of bait? Not being familiar with the market for bait I have limited knowledge on the subject...but i understand its got to be marketed/sold somewhere doesn't it?

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