Sunday, November 29, 2015

Sizeable Sitka herring harvest projected

The state has set a preliminary quota of 15,674 tons of herring for next spring's Sitka Sound sac roe fishery.

That's a fairly large number.

This year, Sitka seiners and processors working as a cooperative took the full quota of 8,756 tons. The fishery ran from March 18-25.

The 2014 season yielded a harvest of 16,976 tons of herring.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

can we look forward to $50 a ton>? Deliver enough tons at that price year after year and there it will stay for years-your legacy to your children!

Anonymous said...

STRIKE!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

At some point the herring are worth more in the ecosystem, than harvested for little to no value.

Anonymous said...

what about open pounding kelp fishery in sitka?

ernie koepf said...

Dr. Ray Hillborn and Ulrike Hillborn have dedicated a chapter to Economic Overfishing in their book on what ebveryone needs to know about overfishing. As commercial fishermen, we must all respect this man and the work he has done, as a countervailing voice of reason against environmentalist rhetoric.

That said, we must tend to our own house and sometimes that requires a criticism. The Sitka herring fishery and the Togiak herring fishery now has a history of economic overfishing. Unless we tend our own house responsibly, hostile others will do it for us.

Anonymous said...

Once again, we are all subjected to ADF&G forcing an unprofitable and unnecessary herring sac roe fishery in Sitka.

Anonymous said...

what other fishery do you know of that is "managed" by targeting spawning females?

Anonymous said...

Or.... we could just focus on all the dragging happening west of 144 °.... get a grip guys..

Anonymous said...

3:04 - ADFG does not have market considerations in their mandate, are you suggesting they should? Do you really want to give up what little market control we have to a government entity? Do you want to pay for more bureaucracy to 'manage' the fishery with the market? What do you think your boat and permit would be worth if ADFG had the power to cancel a seaon becuase the market didn't look right?

Anonymous said...

...maximize the value of the fishery... not a mandate?
Idjuts!

Why not $20 a ton? Penny a pound. Ramming speed!

Anonymous said...

I don't think that fishery is about money anymore.
I agree with 4:43 PM.
Or is there any way to transplant some of them?
My Dad is 94 yo and he says there was herring everywhere in the old days.
And Kings were not a bottom feeder.

Anonymous said...

There isn't going to be herring everywhere again until the whales die off.

Anonymous said...

Actually the BOF just clarified Togiak's management plan "will manage Togiak striving for the highest level of product value with a minimum of waste."

RC 150 Bill Egan Center BOF Bristol Bay 2015

7:01, you may also get a surprise soon.

Anonymous said...

Agree with 2:35, if your concerned about herring its time to manage the whales. Humpbacks are increasing at 7% a year and a study a few years ago estimated they eat 50,000 tons a year of the Sitka sound biomass. At their current growth rate its 70,000 tons and not slowing down, makes the sac roe harvest seem pretty minimal in the big picture.

Anonymous said...

7:01, could you also explain why boat and permit values, are more important to ADFG managers than fish values? I never could understand that theory on depreciating assets. Say for instance, you own a pipeline, another depreciating asset. Is the pipe worth more than the oil, or is the oil worth more than the pipe?

Is the Bong, worth more than the weed you smoke?

Is the Bottle, worth more than the whiskey you drink?

Is the Boat, worth more than the fish you deliver, and if it is, like any depreciating asset, what's it got to do with economics 101?

Gunnar Knapp retired, is his textbook worth a nickel in retirement?

Those persons who sold their big 32 foot seiners for a $100,000.00 more than they cost new in 1990, passed home economics 101.
Those who bough, flunked.

What this industry needs is an optimum number study on IQ levels. When your too stupid to read, breed.

Anonymous said...

$500 a ton for Winter bay herring icicle

Anonymous said...

There is a small herring run trying to rebuild itself in the head of Port Frederick. The sea lions are thick, eating the herring and the Kings that come for the herring. If they won't even thin out a few worthless sea lions there is no chance of any whale control.

Anonymous said...

A few more "transient" Killer Whales eating Sea Lions could help 1:01. Those of the resident model, are genetically ineffective. Always shown best at your local Board of Fish Meeting?

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/scientists-want-new-name-for-mammal-eating-orcas/

Anonymous said...

1:19 I never said boat and permit values are important to ADFG. My opinion is that they should stay out of that side of the fishery. My point is that if ADFG starts canceling seasons based on what they perceive as a poor market it just add another variable into the mix. Another variable is more risk. Fishing is financially risky enough, more risk will only drive asset prices down even further. I wasn't trying to make a point on depreciating assets or bongs.

Anonymous said...

Whens fish and game gonna get in there and euthanize whales and sea lions...and why's that damn woody debris always in the way when I want to run up every river- get it together ADF&G!

Anonymous said...

Time to start whaling again. Buncha pansies, get some real humpy.