By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
After a test set on 50 tons of herring east of Vitskari Rocks Tuesday, Fish and Game biologists said it is not yet time for a seine opening.
But they also noted that the situation can change quickly.
“We’ve got our finger on the pulse,” said Area Management Biologist Aaron Dupuis.
Three samples were taken from the test set at 11:20 a.m., and the results were announced late Tuesday.
The samples showed zero percent mature roe, 7.8 percent immature roe, 118 gram average weight and 39 percent female. Processors are generally looking for fish of a good size and mature roe of at least 10 percent in the sac roe fishery.
Dupuis added a note with the test results about the effect of test sets on the herring schools.
“Herring mortality associated with test sets is likely minimal and there is no evidence that the small number of fish taken has any measurable impact on the subsistence fishery,” he said.
“Nevertheless, to ensure reasonable opportunity for subsistence harvest of herring roe would not be negatively impacted by test setting, prior to authorizing test fishing in this area the department considered the following: 1) test setting in the area of Vitskari Rocks is well outside the commercial closed waters and core subsistence areas; and 2) the fish encountered during test fishing in this area would represent a small fraction of the overall biomass in the area.”
This year’s guideline harvest level is 45,164 tons.
Fish and Game said their aerial surveys Tuesday and today showed no active spawn or schools, but the presence of herring predators scattered across Sitka Sound, with most concentrated in deeper waters between Vitskari Rocks and Chaichei Islands. The largest group was seen off Inner Point. Dupuis said whales were seen today west of Bieli Rocks before rough flight conditions cut the aerial survey short.
