Sitka herring summary

This year's Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery tallied about 6,200 tons of herring, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this season summary.

The harvest fell far short of the preseason quota of 36,720 tons.

The two-week fishery closed for the season on April 4.

Sitka herring gets going

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery is now underway, with a four-hour opener yesterday and a nine-hour opener today.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is holding harvest estimates confidential.

"Vessel surveys conducted by the department beginning on March 18 indicated that there is a very large biomass of herring distributed throughout Sitka Sound," Fish and Game said today.

Another strong Sitka herring forecast

The state today announced a 2025 Sitka Sound sac roe herring quota of 36,720 tons.

That's a big number, though not nearly as large as the record 81,246-ton quota set for the 2024 season. Industry ended up taking only a fraction of that quota, about 12,700 tons.

Man reported killed on troller near Sitka

Details in this press release from the Alaska State Troopers.

It's all over at Sitka

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery will close for the season at 6 p.m. today.

The preliminary harvest estimate is 13,300 tons of herring, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this announcement.

That's far short of the preseason quota of 81,246 tons.

Sitka herring season nears its start

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fleet will go on two-hour notice beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in this announcement.

A colossal Sitka herring quota

The guideline harvest level for next year's Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is 81,246 tons, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

That's by far the largest preseason quota ever set for the fishery.

The previous record was 45,164 tons set for the 2022 season.

Bad situation at Sitka

One person has been recovered dead and four others are missing from an overdue charter vessel found partially submerged, the U.S. Coast Guard reports.

Sitka herring fishery appears done

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is signaling the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is over.

"As of today, the department will no longer be assessing Sitka Sound for commercial harvest opportunity for the remainder of the 2023 season," the department says in this announcement.

And they're off at Sitka!

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery opened at 1:15 p.m. today, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

Sitka herring watch

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery will go on two-hour notice effective at 8 a.m. Thursday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced.

'Several very large schools'

Aerial surveys and test fishing have begun in preparation for the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery.

Here's the latest update from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Trolling for help

The Alaska Trollers Association is asking the City and Borough of Sitka for $25,000 to help fight a lawsuit that threatens to close the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fishery.

Here's a letter from the association's president, Matt Donohoe.

And here's a background legal summary from the association's attorney.

The Sitka Assembly is set to consider the funding request on Jan. 10.

Another hefty quota for the Sitka herring fishery

Details in this announcement just out from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

All done at Sitka

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery has closed for the season with a strong harvest exceeding 25,000 tons.

Sitka herring update

As predicted, lots of herring showed up at Sitka Sound this season, and the seine fleet has worked methodically through several openings since March 26.

According to the latest update from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the harvest now exceeds 20,000 tons of herring.

That's a lot, though still well short of the preseason quota of 45,164 tons.

And they're off!

The Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery got underway yesterday with an opener lasting an hour and 15 minutes.

No word yet on harvest volume.

Sitka herring fishery to go on two-hour notice

More details in this advisory announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The end of an era?

The Alaska Board of Fisheries is now conducting its Southeast meeting, and Deckboss is particularly interested in a pair of proposals that would revolutionize the Sitka Sound commercial sac roe herring fishery.

The proposals seek to tame the notoriously combative seine fishery by establishing equal share quotas for each of the 47 permit holders. Under this arrangement, Sitka no longer would run as a competitive fishery.

The fishermen sponsors of one of the proposals argue it's high time the fishery switched to a "safe and orderly system." They describe the mayhem sometimes seen at Sitka:

The Sitka Sound commercial sac roe fishery is one of the most hazardous fisheries in the state. Fishermen are put into small areas for even smaller amounts of time to fight over the resource. Vessels are routinely in collisions, vessels have rolled over, gear is frequently destroyed and injuries are not uncommon. Fishermen and insurance companies have frequent claims, and the state of Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard and local law enforcement are forced to spend limited and valuable resources to patrol the derby fishery.

Supporters of equal shares say most of the fishery's permit holders support the change.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is neutral on the proposals, but offers excellent comments on the key considerations.

What will the board do? Can't wait to see.

'The largest ever'

The guideline harvest level for this year's Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is 45,164 tons.

"The GHL is the largest ever set for Sitka Sound," says the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

More details in this announcement.