Katherine Rose, Author at KCAW

State research vessel leaves Sitka as window for fishery narrows

The Sitka sac roe herring fishery remains on two-hour notice, but many seiners and tenders have already left Sitka. If the Alaska Department of Fish & Game doesn’t find enough mature herring to allow fishing to occur, it would be only the second time in the 43-year history of the Sitka fishery that a commercial harvest has not been held.

Seiners explain decision to stop test fishing

As of Tuesday evening, herring seiners in Sitka were standing down from further test fishing -- but they weren't calling it a strike. After a full week spent looking for schools of marketable size and roe content, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game couldn’t interest any boats in making test sets over the weekend.

With no volunteer test fishers, ADF&G keeps searching for herring

ADF&G conducted aerial surveys and monitored waters from aboard the research vessel Kestrel, but no seiners volunteered to conduct test sets for the department on Monday or over the weekend.

Seiners still waiting for fishery to open

As of Friday afternoon (3-22-19) ADF&G biologists have seen a lot of herring, but the roe content hasn’t hit the 11 percent maturity mark needed to make the fish marketable.

Legislators prep for finance town hall in Sitka

Representatives Dan Ortiz (District 36) and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (District 35) will be in Sitka on Sunday to hear feedback from residents about state budget cuts proposed by Governor Mike Dunleavy.

Public reacts to release of hospital sale agreements

Over 60 people were in attendance for a city Q&A on the proposed sale of Sitka Community Hospital. The meeting was intended to be an informative dive into several documents associated with the sale, but the majority of the time was spent fielding questions from a handful of concerned citizens.

Aerial surveys start earlier Wednesday as fishery remains on notice

Several vessels went out to conduct test sets on Tuesday, but that’s as close as seiners got to hauling in any herring. While the fishery remains on 2-hour notice, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game hasn’t yet found the conditions right to open the fishery.

At seiners’ meeting, demonstrators call to ‘Protect the Herring’

People filled the chairs and lined the walls at an organizational meeting on Saturday for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the day before the Sitka Sac Roe Herring Fishery went on 2 hour notice. Around 75 seiners and Sitkans listened as Fish and Game biologists spoke about last year’s fishery and gave an outlook for this year.

Assembly asks for additional $2 million cut from general fund

The Sitka Assembly has directed city staff to cut $2 million dollars from their draft of the general fund budget, after city staff presented them a ‘worst case scenario’ budget built around major cuts to state funding.

Seiners remain on two-hour notice, as samples approach threshold

The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is on two-hour notice, but seiners remained in the harbor for a second day in a row on Monday, awaiting a call from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to open the fishery.