Harvesters in the Togiak herring purse seine fleet netted 8,570 tons of herring through April 29, according to the latest report from the Dillingham office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Overall roe recovery was reported at 11.4 percent from 366-gram fish.
The allowable quota announced in late March is for 16,829 tons for the purse seine fleet and 7,212 tons for the gillnetters.
ADF&G earlier estimated, based on a preseason poll, participation by 19 seine and 3 gillnet vessels.
The 2018 Togiak district herring biomass was forecast to be 136,756 tons, very similar to the recent 10-year average spawning biomass. State fisheries biologists noted that the commercial fishery and spawn timing is largely related to water temperatures experienced by herring on the spawning grounds, as well as sea surface temperature and sea ice trends across the southeastern Bering sea in weeks prior to spawning.
For at least the last decade, the seine fishery has operated as individual processor-controlled fleets, and it was expected that this would continue to be the case, allowing the purse seine vessels to locate high quality herring and fill their company’s daily needs, resulting in fresher, higher quality roe, biologists said.
Management of the gillnet fishery also was allowing for ample fishing time and area to take as much herring as possible.
