Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists have issued their 2016 forecast for the Togiak district sac roe and spawn-on-kelp fishery and Dutch Harbor food and bait fishery.
The forecast is based on a maximum 20 percent exploitation rate of the projected biomass, as defined in regulations for the Bristol Bay Herring Management Plan.
The projected biomass of 162,244 tons is down just slightly from the 2015 forecasted biomass of 163,480 tons, and the total allowable harvest of 32,449 tons is down slightly from 32,696 tons a year ago.
The fixed allocation for Togiak spawn-on-kelp is 1,500 tons, and the remaining allowable harvest is 30,949 tons.
The Dutch Harbor food/bait allocation, based on 7 percent of the remaining allowable harvest, is 2,166 tons. The Togiak District sac roe fishermen get 28,782 tons, with 20,148 tons, or 70 percent, going to the purse seine fleet, and 8,635 tons, or 30 percent, going to the gill net fleet.
The final report on the 2015 harvest, estimated in value at $1.08 million, and based on $50 a ton, will be out next spring.
Preliminary harvest figures put the total catch at 21,594 tons, with the purse seine fleet achieving its full allocation with a harvest of 20,374 tons, including an estimated 500 tons of deadloss. Gillnetters brought in 1,220 tons, just 14 percent of their allocation.
A total of 12 seine vessels and 6 gillnetters participated.
Purchasers included Trident Seafoods, Icicle Seafoods, North Pacific Seafoods and Silver Bay Seafoods.
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