Back with bits and pieces

Deckboss apologizes for his silence the past few days. Had some nonfish business to deal with.

To catch up, here are a few news nuggets I'm sure you'll find interesting.

• The Copper River District has produced a catch of 2 million sockeye so far this season, which is pretty awesome. Gillnetters managed only about 636,000 last year.

• The Prince William Sound shrimp pot fishery will close for the season at 10 p.m. Friday. Why? Because shrimpers by then are expected to max out the 52,760-pound quota. Last year's harvest came in at 45,349 pounds, well short of the 55,000-pound limit.

• The Norton Sound red king crab fishery also will close Friday, at noon. Crabbers are expected to hit the 331,150-pound quota by then.

• We know more now about the outcome of the big Togiak sac roe herring fishery back in May. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game puts the total value of the huge 22,699-ton harvest at about $2.3 million, based on an estimated grounds price of $100 per ton. Last year, Togiak herring paid $150 per ton, not counting any post-season adjustments.

• I haven't read it yet, but here's an independent review the states of Alaska and Washington commissioned on the recent federal biological opinion regarding commercial fishing effects on endangered Steller sea lions. The BiOp resulted in the closure of significant fishing grounds out the Aleutian chain — and provoked an ongoing lawsuit.