Kruzof Herring Spawn
Dear Editor: Everybody who has been to the Fred’s Creek Forest Service cabin, Shoal’s Point, or basically anywhere on the outer coast of Kruzof, knows how rough it is. Even on a calm day, huge swells are always rolling in. And if it’s been blowing, it is nearly impossible to even bring your boat into the shore without getting swamped.
The second thing that most people here in Sitka know, is how sandy the southern coast of Kruzof is. Most of the beaches are sandy, and the sand doesn’t stop at the beach. If you look at a chart, you can see that sand extends out very far from the beach. Most of the beaches and seafloor where this year’s herring have spawned, are sand.
This combination of huge swell and sandy shores makes it a horrible place for herring to spawn. Seaweed doesn’t like to grow on sandy bottoms, so there isn’t much for the herring to spawn onto. And even if some spawn does stick, it will most likely get washed away when the next big storm comes.
To make matters worse, the current in Sitka Sound goes counterclockwise. This means that if any eggs do come loose from whatever they were stuck to, they will get swept out into the open ocean. This same thing also happens to the herring fry themselves after they hatch. Instead of staying in a protected cove until they mature enough to swim and take care of themselves, they are swept out into the cold North Pacific.
As you can see, the southern shore of Kruzof is by no means an ideal place for herring spawn. Herring have traditionally spawned closer to town, in protected inner bays and along protected beaches. Only in recent years have they started spawning on southern Kruzof. Fish and Game’s explanation is that herring naturally rotate where they spawn. Although this is true, this year’s spawning area is not a place where herring traditionally spawn.
Over the years, the Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring fishery has fished all the traditional spawn areas. And more often than not, after a large fishery, the herring don’t come back. Clearly, on some level, a herring that survives an opening learns to stay away from that place. It just makes sense. This is one of the reasons why the herring are moving out of the protected areas of Sitka Sound. To make a long story short, the herring are leaving their traditional spawning grounds because there have been so many devastating fisheries in those places. It comes at a huge cost though. They are leaving prime spawning grounds for the unprotected, sandy, current ridden southern shore of Kruzof Island.
Blake LaPerriere, Sitka
School Budget Input
Dear Editor: Big changes are coming to Sitka schools in the wake of Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed education cuts. What should these changes look like? If you have opinions, the Sitka School District seeks your input during a public budget hearing at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 12, at the Sitka High Library.
For maximum effectiveness, talk with administrators and principals now about your ideas – this will allow you to refine your suggestions and also provide staff with extra review time before the April 12 meeting. Some questions to help you prepare might include: How can we minimize increases to class sizes? How can we retain electives and extra-curricular activities to promote well-rounded learning and student engagement? How can schools protect vulnerable populations and promote social-emotional learning?
Our schools need the creativity, experience, and problem-solving skills you have to offer – right now. The final school budget meeting will take place on April 17, at which time the district budget will be finalized with no further opportunity for public input. Your participation in the coming days will impact the kind of school experience Sitka students encounter this fall and in the future.
Families for Schools, Sitka
