Shorelines around town took on an aquamarine hue Monday and today as spawning herring continued their annual return to Sitka Sound.

Commercial herring seiners fished from 10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday northwest of town in Hayward Strait and the southern portion Krestof Sound, Alaska Fish and Game fishery managers reported.

 

Herring spawn colors the waters along Halibut Point Road near Sandy Beach today. Commercial herring seiners fished from 10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday northwest of town in Hayward Strait and the southern portion Krestof Sound. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

 

Fishing opened again at 9 a.m. today in the same area, and will remain open until further notice, ADF&G stated in a 10 a.m. update on VHF channel 10.

Seiners kicked off this year's fishery with openings from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday in waters off the east shore of Kruzof Island from Shoals Point north to Mountain Point.

The guideline harvest level this year is 36,720 tons, which is 20 percent of F&G’s 183,599-ton forecast for the 2025 herring return.

But, for the first time in the history of the fishery, figures on this year's sac roe harvest are confidential because fewer than three seafood processors are participating in the fishery, the department said in a preseason meeting last week.

While prosecuting the first days of the sac roe fishery, the department continues to monitor the local herring return by air and by sea.

Fish and Game reported that in vessel surveys on Monday “large concentrations of herring were observed in Hayward Strait and Eastern Bay," as "herring schools along the Kruzof shoreline moved north and were observed from Kamenoi Point to Krestof Sound."

"Schools of herring were also observed within regulatory closed waters by Chaichei Islands, Middle Island, and Watson Point,” the department said Monday.

A test set that F&G sampled early Monday near Rob Point in Hayward Strait yielded fish with an average weight of 180 grams and 13.7 percent mature roe, well above the industry’s threshold – around 10 percent – needed for commercial harvest.

In a float plane survey Monday, F&G personnel spotted about 1.5 miles of spawn "along the Sitka Road System from Watson Point to Harbor Point, Kasiana Island, and southern Middle Island."

Active spawn continued along the road system this morning, "and the spawn has expanded around Kasiana Islands," as well as be Old Sitka Rocks, F&G reported today over VHF channel 10.

Aerial surveyors spotted "approximately 3.3 nautical miles of spawn this morning," F&G said today.

The department's R/V Kestrel began its survey at 7 a.m. today and "ran into fish from Guide Island into Hayward Strait and noticed various schools around the Magouns up to Mud Bay," F&G said.

Meanwhile, the department Research Vessel Eric C noticed schools of herring concentrated "from Fred's Creek to about Inner Point" on the Kruzof Island shoreline.

The next fishery update is expected at 4 p.m. today on VHF channel 10 and on F&G's website.

CORRECTION: In Monday’s story on the sac roe fishery, it was incorrectly stated that herring caught in a test set in Promisla Bay Saturday weighed, on average, 18 grams. The fish weighed 118 grams on average.