FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

Local Charters See Business Recovering

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer

Sitka’s charter fishing is rebounding this summer from the decline during the 2020 pandemic, although it’s still below pre-pandemic levels, Department of Fish and Game management biologist Jake Wieliczkiewicz says.

“They’ve been doing all right. For charter fishing effort, we’re a little below the average we usually see but things seem to be bouncing back,” he told the Sentinel in an email. “Last year was of course a pretty slim year, but things are on their way to recovering. For a rough estimate, the charter fleet seems to be at about approximately 90 percent of where it usually is, which is definitely an improvement from last year.”

Charter clients claim their fish boxes at the Rocky Gutierrez Airport on Wednesday. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

While the charter effort declined last year, the biologist noted that the 2020 summer didn’t lead to a collapse of the charter industry in Sitka because many out-of-town fishermen arrive via airplane, not cruise ship.

“Last year, we guessed looking at numbers after the season and just looking at effort throughout we were at about 75 percent (of normal). Sitka is very lucky because a lot of our charter anglers are coming in through the airport, not cruise ships,” Wieliczkiewicz said in a later interview.

An emailed request to an ADFG official in Anchorage for specific fishing harvest and effort data was not answered by press time today.

This year, Wieliczkiewicz  said, charter operators have positive reports.

“That’s sort of anecdotally talking to guys coming in, asking how they’re booked up… They’re pretty optimistic, a lot of them are booked up and they’re happy about it,” he said.

For local fishermen, good weather and a high king salmon limit for residents have led to solid results, the biologist added. And the best times for king fishing are still ahead.

“King salmon regulations are pretty liberal this year, and we’re seeing people take advantage of that,” Wieliczkiewicz wrote. “In-season estimates are still being calculated, but anecdotally people are doing pretty well. Generally the end of June and early July are the hottest times for king salmon, so things could start picking up shortly.”

At present, the daily bag limit for a local resident is three kings, 28 inches long or longer.

“They’re out there catching fish. We’ve had some good weather this year and people have gotten pretty lucky. Our limits are pretty liberal and pretty generous and people seem to be responding pretty positively,” he said.

While the previous king salmon season started with a lower bag limit for locals, Wieliczkiewicz said, the pandemic didn’t reduce the overall local fishing effort. In 2020, the local king salmon bag limit rose to three fish on June 9.

“We started things out more open this summer. Last summer we kind of ramped things up as we got further into the season and this season we started off being more generous. (Effort is) pretty similar, our private effort typically doesn’t change too much,” Wieliczkiewicz said.

Beyond the standard catch, a local captain recently reeled in a Humboldt squid.

“That was swaying offshore… it was way out off the Cape… It’s pretty rare – they’re documented up here,” he said.

The squid was cut up and served to diners.

For local fishermen, the biologist stressed the need to check regulations.

“Please check your local regulations, because we don’t have any indications that anything will close, but we do manage the king fishery by emergency order,” he said. “So it’s always subject to change. So check before you go fishing.”

He noted that king salmon bag limits are determined by looking back at the spring troll fishery.

“They look at spring troll numbers and then create a number for the year and then they divide that up between the commercial, subsistence, and sport fish,” he said.

You have no rights to post comments

Login Form

 

20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

Calendar

Local Events

Instagram

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Instagram!

Facebook

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Facebook!