By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring commercial fishery opened for the first time this year at 1:15 p.m. today in Aleutkina and Leesoffskaia bays and Deep Inlet, the Department of Fish and Game announced this afternoon. Harvest figures were not released by press time today.
The fishery will be closed by field announcement on marine VHF radio.
Active herring spawn now encompasses much of the shoreline of southern Kruzof Island, from Cape Edgecumbe to Fred’s Creek, the department said, though herring have yet to spawn closer to town. All told, agency surveys have detected 10.3 nautical miles of spawn so far this year.
This year’s guideline harvest level for the Sitka Sound sac roe harvest is 30,124 tons, with a forecast average weight of 134-gram fish across all age classes.
At the meeting on March 21, Fish and Game area management biologist Aaron Depuis said the 2022 guideline harvest level was 45,164 tons, and took place from March 26 to April 10 with fishing taking place throughout that time, with only a one-day break. The total harvest was 25,090 tons, which came to about 56 percent of the overall quota. Spawn began on March 27 and continued through the end of April.
“Overall the fishery was fairly successful,” he said.
