Over 6000 tons of herring have been harvested so far in the Sitka Sound Sac Roe herring fishery.
The commercial fishery opened twice over the weekend. According to an announcement Sunday afternoon (3-30-25) from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, over 900 tons of herring were harvested on Saturday. The fishery was open on Sunday for 10 hours, but harvest totals weren’t yet available.
On Sunday, nearly 32 nautical miles of spawn were observed by ADF&G staff during an aerial survey. While spawning last week was more heavily concentrated along the Sitka road system, more spawn observed on Sunday was concentrated around the Magoun Islands, Middle Island, and south of town, from Samsing Cove to Long Island and from Cape Burunof to Povorotni Point.
So far, ADF&G has reported just over 71 cumulative nautical miles of spawn since it began aerial surveys earlier this month.
This year, the state has set a guideline harvest level for the commercial fishery of over 35,000 tons, but with few processors and a small fleet participating, it’s likely only a portion of what the state allows will be harvested.
