By Sentinel Staff
Taking advantage of Sitka’s mostly clear weather Tuesday, a Department of Fish and Game observation flight located herring predators along the shore of Kruzof Island but located no herring schools or spawn in Sitka Sound.
Flying from Povorotni Point to Salisbury Sound, ADFG spotted humpback whales along the eastern shore of Kruzof Island, and also in deeper waters around Bieli Rock, immediately west of Middle Island, the department said in a release Tuesday afternoon.
“It did appear that some whales have shifted to the deeper waters west of Bieli Rock since yesterday. Large numbers of sea lions were observed off the rock piles between Inner Point and Rob Point,” the Fish and Game report stated. “Typically, humpback whales are concentrated in the deeper waters near Bieli Rock and Vitskari Rocks, and sea lions are mostly concentrated at haulout areas near Biorka Island and West Crawfish Inlet.”
The department also conducted the first test set of the upcoming commercial sac roe herring fishery Tuesday in Hayward Strait, northwest of town. The set yielded 30 tons of fish weighing on average 114 grams, but without any mature roe.
