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The 33rd Annual Petersburg Chamber of Commerce King Salmon Derby gets underway this Friday at 7 a.m. The derby continues through the Memorial Day Weekend and ends Monday at 5 p.m. Two tagged fish will hopefully be available for anglers this year. Derby Committee member Doug Welde and volunteers were still seeking two Kings to tag at press time Thursday morning. One tagged fish could bring a derby angler a chance at $5,000 from Hammer and Wikan and the other could garner a $10,000 prize sponsored by Alaska Marine Lines and the Petersburg... Full story
The debate over which sector – commercial or recreational fishing – provides the bigger economic punch can finally be put to rest. The annual ‘Fisheries Economics of the US’ report by the Dept. of Commerce shows once and for all that in terms of values, jobs, sales and incomes the commercial sector far outscores recreational fishing. A breakdown of the extensive report by market analyst John Sackton shows that in 2012, commercial fishing had $140 billion in sales compared to $58 billion for sport fishing. And for the value contributed to the...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — King salmon fishermen in much of Alaska are facing dismal catch predictions this summer but that's not the case in southeast Alaska. The Juneau Empire reports high returns last year and high escapement projects in rivers outside Alaska are making commercial and sport fishermen optimistic about 2014. King salmon abundance estimates along the Panhandle have more than doubled from last year. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says 439,400 kings can be caught this year. That compares to 266,800 in 2012 and just 176,000 l...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released a final update of the Sitka Herring Sac Roe fishery results. Fisherman netted 16,976 tons of herring, down from preliminary projections but still exceeding the guideline harvest by 643 tons. The March 20 season opener saw the most herring coming up in nets at 5,031 tons. The total mature roe was recorded at 12.4 percent. The baseline market price for roe is 10 percent. Processors were offering around $150 per ton this year, down from $780 last year. Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Dave...
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Production Manger Bill Gass said he’s impressed by how fast State officials are moving forward with plans to reconstruct Petersburg’s Crystal Lake Hatchery incubation facility that was destroyed by a fire last month. “It’s not a matter of deciding to pay it or not,” Gass said. “Before an expenditure of that magnitude happens or not they (State officials) need to get engineers involved, quotes from contractors, a fully functional design that would go out to bid… We’re the contracted operators but t...
Sitka sac roe herring fishermen sold their catch at around $150 a ton this season-a dramatic decrease compared to last year's sac roe average price per ton of $780. Sitka's Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Dave Gordon said past fisheries in Sitka as well as Kodiak and Togiak have flooded the market. "There's an over supply," Gordon said. "There's always a desire to get the maximum quality under those circumstances...It's something that seems to happen in this fishery... Full story
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) announced yesterday a 2014 Southeast Alaska Chinook salmon all gear harvest quota of 439,400 fish. Those fish fall under the Pacific Salmon Treaty—non-Alaska-hatchery produced Chinook. “The quota is based on the forecast of aggregate abundance of Pacific Coast Chinook salmon stocks originating from river systems in the area subject to management under the treaty, which stretches from Cape Suckling, Alaska to Cape Falcon, Oregon,” an ADFG press release states. ADFG officials stated the actual 2013...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announces the regulations for king salmon, effective April 2, 2014 - April 30, 2015. The regulations are: Alaskan Resident: The resident bag and possession limit is three king salmon 28 inches or greater in length. Nonresident: The nonresident bag and possession limit is one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length, except during May and June the bag and possession limit is two king salmon 28 inches or greater in length. The nonresident annual limit is six king salmon 28 inches or greater in length....
Fisherman fishing the Sitka Sound Herring Sac Roe fishery harvested more than half of its guideline harvest limit this past week. As of March 23, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 9,858 tons of herring have been pulled out of the water leaving 6,475 tons remaining. There was an opening Wednesday afternoon that targeted around 3,000 tons but an exact harvest weight wasn't determined at the time this report was written. On March 25, officials observed herring spawning on...
Commercial troll fishery public meeting to be held in Petersburg The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will hold commercial troll public meetings in Petersburg on Wednesday, April 2 at 12:30 pm in the Petersburg Library Conference Room. Meeting topics will include, but are not limited to, plans for the 2014 spring and summer troll fisheries, the 2014 Pacific Salmon Treaty Chinook salmon abundance index and quota, and a review of the 2013 troll season. All members of the public are welcome to attend. State seeks public input on ferry schedule...
Alaska’s salmon catch of 273 million salmon set a record last year – and so did the number of salmon returning home to state hatcheries. The 2013 Fisheries Enhancement Report by the AK Dept. of Fish and Game shows that a return of 112 million hatchery reared salmon contributed 36 percent to the state’s total salmon harvest. The breakdown by species was 63% for chum salmon, 38% for pinks, 23% for Chinook salmon, 22% for cohos and 5% of Alaska’s sockeye salmon catch can be credited to hatchery returns. Unlike farmed fish, which are crammed...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the Sitka Sound herring roe fishery is on a two-hour notice as of 8 a.m. March 20. A test sample taken March 17 from shallow waters near Magic Island revealed a high percentage of immature roe with an average weight of 201 grams, which is higher than average. Although the immaturity levels during that time were considered high, the past several days may have allowed more growth time as well as the separation of less mature herring from the mature schools. The guideline harvest level this season... Full story
Co-products is the big new buzz word in the seafood industry as more companies move towards ‘head to tails’ usages for fish. “For instance, the oils we are producing now from pollock livers has become so valuable in capsules and other human nutraceutical products, it makes no sense to call the livers a “byproduct” of the fillets or surimi. All of it is important in the puzzle of how to maximize the value of each fish caught,” said Alex Oliveira, a food specialist at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center, a satellite campus of the UAF...
(Sitka) – The brown bear hunting season opens March 15 in Game Management Unit 4 (GMU4) with two registration hunts; RB088 and RB089. Both hunts open March 15th but have different closing dates. Inside drainages (RB089) close May 20th, and outside drainages (RB088) close May 31st. For boundary clarifications, refer to the 2013-14 Alaska Hunting Regulations and online maps. Hunters are reminded of the requirement to watch the brown bear identification video called “Take a Closer Look” prior to registering. This can be viewed online ADF&G...
March 14, 1914 – Dr. Maud L. Dunn, a noted American lecturer now in London, in one of her lectures said that some women are always complaining, always frowning, and always telling their neighbors that they are full of aches. You may take it that their troubles are due to corsets. They are the kind of women whose husbands seek the aid of the divorce tribunals. Corsets, she says, should be put on when lying down, as then the organs are in their natural position. Corsets should be three inches less than the waist measurement. March 13, 1974 C...
An early morning fire destroyed the incubation room and other infrastructure at the Crystal Lake Hatchery last week. The structural loss was valued at an estimated $3 million by the facility manager, Loren Thompson. The fish stock losses were pegged at over a million dollars in value to both the commercial and sport fisheries, which benefit from the annual releases from the hatchery. The State of Alaska self-insures its loss and rebuilding the incubation facility is not a given in these tight budget times for the state. However, it doesn’t t...
This year’s Tanner Crab season saw the highest harvest since the 2000/2001 season. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Lead Crab Biologist Joe Stratman said Tanner Crab prices and the overall harvest value were also up from last year. This season’s total harvest value was $3.1 million, with an average of $2.53 per pound compared to last year’s $2.8 million harvest value and $2.28 per pound. Preliminary estimates show this season’s Tanner fishery in Registration Area A is 1.25 million pounds with 80 permit holders. “This harvest just slightly...
Just as Nero fiddled while Rome burned, US policy makers are quibbling over climate issues as bivalves dissolve in an increasingly corrosive Pacific Ocean. Any kid’s chemistry set will show that big changes are occurring in seawater throughout the world. As the oceans absorb more carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning outputs (primarily coal), it increases acidity to a point where shellfish can’t survive. It is referred to as ocean acidification (OA) and results in sea creatures’ inability to grow skeletons and protective shells. The proce...
February 24, 1914 – The Bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Hon. McKellar, which provides that fish kept in cold storage for more than two months cannot be shipped in interstate commerce is so worded that it would cover frozen and preserved as well as fresh fish. If this cold storage bill should go in its original form, it would be a great calamity to two of the largest industries on the North Pacific Coast-- that of mild-cured and frozen salmon. These products are packed in the main for export to Europe and unless a r...
January 31, 1914 – Commissioner Smith, of the bureau of fisheries has completed his annual report which will soon be submitted to the department of commerce. In the report a recommendation is made for the purchase of a fleet of small boats to patrol the Alaska coast, visit the fisheries and otherwise help to enforce the laws in regard to the fishing industry. Besides the commissioner urges the establishment at Seattle of a laboratory for research work similar to those on the Atlantic coast. The fisheries of the Pacific coast including A...
The State Department of Fish and Game has set the regulations for non-pelagic rockfish for Southeast waters. The regulations remained unchanged from last year’s season, which pertains only to non-pelagic, or deepwater rockfish, said Petersburg-Wrangell Area Management Biologist Doug Fleming. “It appears to be for all purposes pretty much the same as last year,” he said. The regulations for all Southeast waters are as follows: All non-pelagic rockfish caught must be retained until the bag limit is reached. Persons sport fishing from a chart...
January Petersburg residents contributed a record amount to the Salvation Army Christmas program last year-$15,618.17-more than $9,700 than the year before. Jan. 4, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck 58 miles west of Craig and 203 miles south of Juneau prompting a tsunami warning across Southeast. Petersburg Police Chief Jim Agner and Sergeant Heidi Agner announced their intentions to retire. Officer Ben King joined the Petersburg Police Department. The Petersburg Borough Assembly members were... Full story
PETERSBURG — The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that seasons for the 2013/2014 commercial Tanner and golden king crab fisheries in Southeast Alaska will open by regulation at 12:00 noon on Monday, February 10, 2014. The season start date for the Tanner and golden king crab fisheries is based on the date with the smallest Juneau tidal range between February 10 and February 17 [5 AAC 35.110(a) and 5 AAC 34.110(b)]. Fishermen are also reminded that weather delay criteria for Tanner and king crab fisheries have been recently a...
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced a preseason run size for Stikine River king salmon at 26,000 fish. Because the size of the forecast is small there will be no directed fisheries in early May. Tom Kowalske, ADFG assistant area management biologist in Wrangell, said estimated run sizes have recently been reduced by nearly half. “For the past seven years the run size was overestimated by an average of 45 percent or so,” Kowalske said. The Stikine River king salmon forecast model initially produced an estimated run size of 37,...
It comes as no surprise that the recommendations for next year’s halibut catches are down again for all regions except Southeast Alaska. Fishery scientists with the International Pacific Halibut Commission have recommended a 2014 coast wide commercial catch total of 24.45 million pounds, a 21% decrease from the 31 million pounds allowed for this year. That includes catches in Alaska, British Columbia and the Pacific Coast states. In a summation at a meeting in Seattle last week, the IPHC said: “The results of the 2013 stock assessment ind...
