Alaska Waypoints | Navigating Alaska's Fishing Industry

The cumulative Togiak sac roe herring purse seine harvest has reached 20,256 tons, representing 96.3 percent of the quota and the fishery has been closed for the remainder of the 2013 season, state fisheries officials said May 21.

A hot herring season has instead cooled, leading to slow fishing across the Kodiak archipelago. As of Monday afternoon, only about 4,000 tons of herring had been harvested from a quota of 5,410 tons. While 40 boats were registered for the fishery before its April 15 opening, only about 10 remain. The rest have gone west to the Togiak herring fishery, Alaska's largest.

Commercial fishermen in the Togiak Sac Roe Herring Fishery are off to a good start with nearly 5-thousand tons of herring harvested during the first 2 days of fishing. KDLG's Mike Mason has the details.

Alaska's largest herring fishery is underway. ADF&G opened the fishery at noon Saturday. KDLG's Mike Mason has the details.

The Department of Fish and Game measured more miles of herring spawn this year than last year, and close to the 10-year average for Sitka Sound. Miles of spawn is one of the figures that goes into calculations for the spawning biomass, along with width of spawn and egg deposition surveys, Fish and Game said.

State fisheries biologists flew an aerial survey of the Togiak herring fishery on May 5, under clear skies, with light to moderate winds, but no herring were observed.

The Sitka Sound sac roe herring season is over.

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game announced the closure Thursday morning. After three competitive openings, the seine fleet captured just under half the 11,549 tons it was hoping for.

Spawning happened quickly in Sitka Sound. As of Thursday morning, about 44 nautical miles of spawn were visible in Sitka Sound.

It's shaping up to be a good year for herring fishermen in Southwest and Western Alaska. KDLG's Mike Mason explains.

Wow! 30 million dollars to study our king salmon? There's nothing to study. It might take years to study when only common sense is needed to apply. King salmon need food, they need the herring. Stop harvesting the herring for commercial use. At least rotate the fishing of herring yearly.

The subsistence foods used in southwest and western Alaska vary depending on location. Across much of the region salmon is a staple of a subsistence diet while users in other areas rely heavily on moose and caribou. The Togiak area is somewhat unique in that many subsistence users rely on herring spawn on kelp to supplement their diet. Some new research about the use of herring spawn on kelp was outlined during last month’s Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting. KDLG’s Mike Mason covered the meeting and filed this report.

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Making some easy changes to a boat’s deck lay out, or simply modifying knives and scrapers can reduce the strains, sprains and pains of fishing. Doing so applies the science of ergonomics.

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game announced the guideline harvest level for the 2013 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery Wednesday. It is 11,055 tons.

At last week's meeting the Nusahgak Fish and Game Advisory Committee voted to close the Togiak Sac Roe Herring Fishery. However, just a few minutes later they reconsidered the vote and rejected the proposal. KDLG's Mike Mason has the details.

The Alaska Board of Fisheries will consider several proposals to change the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery when they meet next month in Naknek. As KDLG's Mike Mason explains... one of the proposals seeks to change the harvest allocation between the seiners and the gillnetters.

An effort is underway to close down the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery for the next 3 years. KDLG's Mike Mason has the story.

A committee of local stakeholders met last week to discuss the proposals that seek to make changes to commercial fishing regulations in Bristol Bay. KDLG's Mike Mason attended the meeting and filed this report about the action taken on a proposal that would impact the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery.

The massive Togiak Herring Fishery was the subject of discussion during the ongoing Nushagak Fish and Game Advisory Committee meeting in Dillingham. KDLG's Mike Mason was there and filed this report.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is forecasting 30,056 tons of herring will be available for harvest in next spring's Togiak sac roe fishery. That's a gigantic number, far higher than this year's quota of 21,622 tons. The industry, however, took only 17,226 tons.

When the Alaska Board of Fisheries holds their meeting focused on Bristol Bay in December they will consider several proposed changes to the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery. KDLG's Mike Mason looked at proposal 11 for this report.

The state's largest herring fishery will extend its season into June this year, with Togiak's gillnetters still pushing toward their 2012 quota.

Togiak purse seine herring harvest completed

Kodiak's herring season slower than expected as fleet heads to Togiak

Nearly 5,000 tons of Togiak herring harvested

Togiak sac roe herring fishery is open

ADF&G reports Sitka Sound herring spawning miles are about even with the 10-year average

Togiak awaits herring fishing

Sitka herring closes as co-op yields 250 tons

A good year for herring fishermen?

The decline of our fish

Changes in the use of herring spawn on kelp in the Togiak area

What's Up?

LAINE: Deck ergonomics studied; herring could have hidden value

Sitka herring harvest to be lower in 2013

Nushagak AC votes to close the Togiak sac roe herring fishery... and then reverses course and votes against the proposal

The Nushagak Fish and Game advisory committee rejects a proposal to change the allocation percentages for seiners and gillnetters

Nushagak advisory committee votes to close the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery

A local advisory committee rejects a proposal to limit in-season management of the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery

Togiak herring ex-vessel value could approach $4-million dollars

Prodigious Togiak herring forecast announced

Proposal changes to the gear splits for the Togiak sac roe herring fishery

Togiak herring season extended