The Sitka Sound Sac Roe herring fishery is now open ten hours a day until further notice.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that beginning Wednesday (4-6-22), the fishery would open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Deep Inlet and Aleutkina Bay and between Povorotni Point and Aspid Cape.
The fishery has opened nearly every day for the last week and a half. Fish and Game biologists estimate that, as of Tuesday, seiners had caught over 19,000 tons of herring.
The subsistence harvest of herring roe on branches is also now in full swing. During aerial surveys on Wednesday morning, fish and game staff observed nearly six miles of herring spawn, including active spawning in the Eastern Bay, Siginaka Islands, Apple and Kasiana Islands, Whiting Harbor and along the local road system. The department has reported 50 cumulative miles of spawn to date.
On Wednesday morning, Sitka Tribe of Alaska announced on its facebook page that its resource protection department would make herring eggs available for pickup for all Tribal Citizens, as long as supplies are available.
