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)
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At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
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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.
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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 .....