The maximum harvest level for Sitka’s commercial herring fishery has been reduced, despite recent increases in the biomass. State fishery managers point to research from Canada that suggests more caution is needed in setting harvest rates than the 20-percent target used up until now. The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted the new strategy – to mixed reviews – at its meeting in Ketchikan, which wrapped up on Sunday.

Four cats and two dogs were euthanized by the Sitka Police Department following a break-down of shelter operations last summer that left police supervising the facility without an animal control officer or volunteers. These details were included in an internal investigation emailed to the Sitka Assembly over the weekend (2-8-25).