Fisheries

The Haines Borough is preparing for a dramatic reduction in raw fish tax revenue as a result of OBI Seafoods’ decision not to process salmon at its Excursion Inlet plant.

State and federal fishery managers are waiting on more information to determine which government entity will have the authority to manage king salmon on the lower Kuskokwim River this summer.

In the Nushagak District, managing harvest is tough because chinook and sockeye runs overlap, so when the sockeye harvests increase, so does incidental chinook bycatch.

Even with a more relaxed fishery, there was one accident on the water over the weekend when a seine boat capsized during Saturday’s opener.

A group of Bering Sea crabbers say they want more time to catch their quota before the state shuts down their season next week.

Fish and Game doesn’t have an answer for the almost 60% drop in salmon harvest between 2019 and 2020.

Fish and Game conducted aerial surveys through the weekend, with schools of herring spotted near Bieli Rock and Vitskari Rocks. The fishery went on two-hour notice Saturday at 8 a.m.

The group advocates for herring and subsistence harvesters, and calls into question the state’s management of the commercial herring fishery.

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game projects a biomass of 236,700 tons — the highest forecast since 1993, when the state started to use its current forecasting method.

The remote island of 375 residents has been expecting its fuel barge for more than two months, but it hasn’t arrived.