The Sitka Sound Sac Roe herring fishery closed for the season on Friday (4-5-24).
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game published the last fishery update for the 2024 season on Monday (4-8-24) afternoon. In aerial surveys on Monday, state fisheries biologists observed small amounts of herring spawn in St. John Baptist Bay, DeGroff Bay, Promisla Bay, Eastern Bay and Hayward Strait.
Last December, when the state published the guideline harvest level, or GHL, for this year, area management biologist Aaron Dupuis said that the fishery wouldn’t come close to reaching the GHL due to decreased processing capacity. His prediction proved true– early estimates suggest around 13,300 tons were caught in this year’s fishery. That’s around 16% of the state’s guideline harvest level of 81,000 tons, which is 20% of the estimated biomass projected by the state. The department reported observing around 79 nautical miles of herring spawn for the season.
