2017 Sitka Herring Forecast Same as 2016
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - December 13, 2016
Sitka--The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced the guideline harvest level (GHL) for the 2017 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is 14,649 metric tons. That is nearly identical to last year’s GHL of 14,700mt, only 10,000mt of which was landed.
Fish and Game bases the 2017 GHL on a 20% harvest rate of a forecast mature biomass of 73,245mt.
The forecast indicates that the mature biomass in 2017 will consist of mostly (73 percent) age 5, 6% age-3, 6% age-4, 2% age-6, 6% age-7, and 7% age-8+. This forecast uses spring commercial purse seine weights at age from last year’s fishery and the average weights were as follows: age-3, 64 grams; age-4, 95 grams; age- 5, 104 grams; age-6, 132 grams; age-7, 149 grams; and age-8+, 178 grams...
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