Thursday, April 12, 2012

It's all over in Sitka

Coming into the season, Sitka Sound herring seiners had a record 28,829-ton quota in front of them.

But the blockbuster harvest wasn't to be.

Today, the Department of Fish and Game closed the season after a scratchy harvest of 13,534 tons, or less than half of that big quota.

The department said the decision was "based on the completion of major spawning in Sitka Sound."

Of course, Sitka herring are valuable only if harvested before they spawn and drop their prized roe.

Well, Deckboss imagines we'll be debating this curious herring season for quite some time.

Maybe a smaller harvest is for the best, given the poor price Sitka herring fetched last year.

Thoughts, anyone?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

With the humongus quota the State Dept. of Fish & Game had declared for Sitka, and the failure of the herring to appear. Makes you think the Dept, "has roe on it's face"

Anonymous said...

how does that optimum number fit into such a scenario? Or is there ever really such thing?

Anonymous said...

this quota, pretty much based on the hocus pocus methodology of spawn deposition, along with some "teasing out" of another year class, could not, would not, have been based on marketable fish. This fishery, commanding the attention three different fin fish managers, abig steel boat and crew, airplanes, and coming up, a very expensive dive survey to decide next years quota, and a solid 3 or 4 months of deciphering (hocus-pocus). For what? 1.3M? Worth way more to state employees than it is to the fleet or processors.



















9

Anonymous said...

I hear Zuanich wants Parnell to declare it a disaster so Silver Bay can get relief dollars.

Anonymous said...

One of the Fish board members at the Ketchikan meeting (johnstone, I think) was very concerned with the Depts assertions that there was this huge abundance of herring. The sitka tribe expressed the same concern. Maybe it's time for the Dept and the Fish Board to ratchet down the harvest and look at herring as a forage fish benefiting many other species, rather than to harvest so much of the biomass. Heck, the product goes to asia and except for a few days very little income benefits alaskans.

Anonymous said...

Just lie the SBA LOANS For the squid disaster of 97 most never repayed many in the million dollar range you watch silver bays top share holders zuanich and the gang put in for disaster relief or low intrest economic disaster money we will all be paying for thatwhen its not repayed or bankrupted on seven deadly sins greed !!!!

SeaScapes said...

This amount caught should increase the value of the product. It was still a large harvest. Check out pics and vids from the fishery @ Juneautek.com

WestVAU said...

I was there, I saw the spawn. It wasn't great, it was thin eveyhwere but middle and crow island. I think ADF&G should take a better look at their model. To think nothing is wrong with the stock or your model and its a natural fluctuation is irresponsible and arrogant. When your model predicts 150k ton's and you admit best case scenario is 90k ton's showed up(spawn desposition surveys will most likely reveal much less actually returned). There is a serious error in your management model, not to mention this same model is the reason herring stocks have collapsed all over BC and other parts of Southeast. ADF&G needs to be a good steward and start over on how they manage this valuable commercial, subsistence, and keystone FORAGE fish!

Anonymous said...

Can we get another opener, based on the completion of spawouts, from the 49th State.

http://www.landbigfish.com/jokes/showcase.cfm?ID=49

Anonymous said...

Mummm Mummm Good!

http://thecordovatimes.com/article/1215asmi-donates-canned-herring-for-food-aid

Anonymous said...

Something really stinks about how this fishery is allowed to go on as it has.
The Coast Guard looks the other way, ADF&G seems to lose their common sense when approaching the Sitka Herring fiasco.
And then there's the "save the whales" people who just seem to let this all happen.
The tribe nervously wonders.
This fishery is the most puzzling. In my opinion, this fishery is getting worse in all directions.
Just sayin.

Anonymous said...

5200 tons that was the historical average catch for the sitka sound herring fisherie,beside this fact all the herring was not taken out of just these small areas right in front of sitka. much larger areas were opened in the past.spreading the catch further from town.in 2011the quota rose to 15000 tons more a less overnight thanks adfg's new models or something to do with misfiguring the age class of the herring stocks?out of the 6 openings in 2011 4 were north of the harbor and two were south of the harbor which means that all of the 15000 ton quota was taken within sight of sitka proper.this year the quota was raised to an amazeing 29000 ton.of the three openings two were just north of crow island within sight of sitka 10000 tons were taken out of this small area effectively shutting down the only major spawn in sitka sound of the 2012 season.the spawn started on march 31st and was pretty much over by april 8 along with the emergency closeure of the seine fishery!i feel that the state of alaska needs to fully investgate what has transpired in this fisherie and also other fisheries that the state fish and and game uses new models to change all the past common sence mangement rules that worked just just fine for many years in the past and we should look also at the influence that fish companys such as siver bay and there partners have on the adfg decisions.

Anonymous said...

the fleet could have got better fish close to town but ADFG was reluctant to open even though the "subsistence only" area goes into effect in 2013 ddint see much local effort going out to set branches that is why the permitting process needs to be in play. weigh the product at local plants and launch ramps and have port samplers working the docks like they do for sport fish. on another note, king James Ross had a tough go as he was blocked from lacing a fellow vessel while in set. he was denied the low rent tactic of getting inside the other boats seine to take his fish. he and his wife whined over that one and charges were filed with AST jamie kicked sand in alot of peoples faces over the year and sure didnt like it when sand got kicked in his. payback. heard he lost some of his combine help too. (shark the knife)

Anonymous said...

yeah right! go to norway and tell them they need a permit for only so much ludifisk per family per year!weigh at the dock and treat them like sport fisherman,see what you get for a responce!!tlingets are being nice to you a holes so far!