Kids and permits

The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission has launched a survey on minors owning commercial fishing permits. Take the survey here.

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.

Processing sector consolidation

One processor, Silver Bay Seafoods, is growing while another company, Peter Pan, appears to be fading away.

More details in this joint press release.

Trident completes sale of its Petersburg plant

Here's the press release.

Yukon Chinook shutdown agreed

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have signed an agreement implementing "a suspension of directed Chinook salmon commercial, sport, domestic, and personal use fisheries in the mainstem Yukon River and Canadian tributaries for one full life cycle (seven years)."

End of the line for the Kodiak Enterprise

Readers will recall the terrible fire aboard the factory trawler Kodiak Enterprise while moored at Tacoma on April 8, 2023. Pacific Fishing magazine reported on the fire in its May 2023 issue (see Page 7).

The damage seemed extensive, but we didn't hear much about the ultimate fate of the 262-foot Kodiak Enterprise, among the largest of all U.S. fishing vessels.

Now we have some additional details. Bottom line: The Kodiak Enterprise is done.

Court papers filed recently in a federal air pollution case involving Trident say the fire resulted in a total loss of the vessel, and it won't ever be used again.

On Dec. 20, 2023, Trident certified that the Kodiak Enterprise had been "permanently rendered inoperable," the court papers added.

To our knowledge, a National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the fire continues.

Two named to Board of Fisheries

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed Curtis Chamberlain to the Alaska Board of Fisheries, and has reappointed Märit Carlson-Van Dort.

Chamberlain will take the place of John Wood, whose term expires June 30.