After a slow start the big Togiak sac roe herring fishery has picked up with the harvest now totaling 8,406 tons, or just over a third of the 24,805-ton quota.
The seiners are faring best, taking 7,275 tons or about 42 percent of their allocation so far, with the gillnet fleet taking 1,131 tons or 15 percent of its share.
The Norton Sound commercial herring fishery harvest target for 2011 is set at 1,000 tons. That makes it a peanut fishery compared to Togiak's.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a news release written by Tyler Rhodes, Communications Director of Norton Sounds CDQ group, NSEDC, last year's herring fishery "attracted nearly 30 boats from the region."
If the same amount of fishers particpate then good luck and I hope the fishers make EXPENSES at least.
According to the NSEDC released price scale; Bait herring will pay $50/ton - that's only a pay off of $1665.00 if a fisher gets at least 33.3% of the harvest target of 1,000 tons. The highest price on the scale is $350/ton for a Roe Percentage of 15% and that'll pay off $11,655 if a fisher luckily gets at least 33.3% of the harvest at 15% Roe.
Prices for Dumb and Dumber! This false sense of hope for making a living off of commercial fishing in the Norton Sound area is smoke and mirrors while the Regions CDQ group, NSEDC invests the Peoples Money back into the Pollock Fishery. This herring fishery is for the people who have jobs doing something else. It's like play away from work.