Harvesters in the Sitka Sound herring sac roe fishery have netted 8,600 tons of their allowable harvest to date, leaving approximately 6,170 tons remaining from this season’s guideline harvest level.
That is according to the latest harvest report from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s office in Sitka, which oversees this fishery.
The first harvest of 3,500 tons came during the March 17 opening. On March 19, preliminary hails from processors brought the harvest total up by another 5,100 tons, ADF&G said.
On March 22, a total 6.8 nautical miles of spawn was recorded in Sitka Sound between Inner Point and Port Krestof, with smaller areas of spawn on north Middle Island, Little Gaveanski Island, Kresta Point and Mud Bay. That survey showed large schools of herring in Sukoi Inlet, Salibury Sound, and St. John Baptist Bay.
The next aerial survey was scheduled for March 23.
No prices have been announced yet for the sac roe herring harvest.
A spokesman for a processor engaged in the Sitka Sound Herring sac roe fishery noted that the current market is pretty soft, given the large inventory left from last year. Prices will be set after the harvest is complete, with consideration of demand and the quality of the herring, he said.
.gif)