By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Fish and Game biologists spotted no herring but plenty of predators in four aerial surveys in the lead-up to the sac roe fishery.
This year’s guideline harvest level for the Sitka Sound sac roe fishery is 45,164 tons, the largest in the 50-year history of the fishery. The GHL is based on a 20 percent harvest rate of 225,820 tons of biomass.
Aaron Dupuis, F&G area management biologist, sent out the first update for this year’s fishery on Monday and spoke to the Sentinel about this morning’s aerial survey.
Vessels have started arriving from other parts of Alaska and the Lower 48, and Dupuis will be working with the seiners on surveying Sitka Sound for possible places for test sets.
Dupuis expects about half of the 47 permit holders will participate, based on information given to him by processors and permit holders.
Fish and Game biologists conducted aerial surveys March 8, 12, 14, and today.
In this morning’s aerial survey, assistant management biologist Jason Jones observed predators (whales, sea lions) widely distributed throughout the survey area, from Cape Burunof to Hayward Strait. Whales were in deeper water in from Vitskari Rocks to Bieli Rock.
“What that tells us right now is that there are schools of herring that whales are feeding on,” Dupuis said. “Because they’re in deeper water, the herring aren’t moving into shallow waters in preparation for spawning. It means there’s time (to go before a fishery).”
No herring schools were seen in surveys March 8, 12 and 14 south to Crawfish Inlet and north to Hayward Strait and Eastern Bay. Herring predators were seen throughout Sitka Sound, including humpback whales concentrated either around Vitskari Rocks, east of Middle Island, or in the deeper waters west of Bieli Rocks. Since March 8, whales have begun to shift to the deeper waters east of Vitskari Rocks.
“A large raft of sea lions was observed on March 8 near Inner Point but has since dissipated,” Dupuis said in a news release. “Most sea lions observed have been hauled out on rocks near Biorka Island and by Crawfish Inlet. Predator numbers and locations are normal for this time of year.”
The forecast age composition for this year’s stock is 6 percent age 3; 26 percent age 4; 59 percent age 5; 59 percent age 6; 3 percent age 7; and 4 percent age 8 and up.
Fish and Game posts the aerial survey data including spawn lines and photos online with an interactive map application that can be found at Bit.ly/3qasavf under “interactive maps.”
