1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Landings 

 |x 1,000 t) 



150 - 



140 - 



130 - 



120 - 



no - 

 100 - 

 90 - 

 80 - 

 70 - 

 60 - 

 50 - 

 40 - 

 30 - 

 20 - 

 10 - 

 - 



Figure 14-7 



Landings of Pacific herring 

 off Alaska, 1900-98, in met- 

 ric tons (t) (1998 is an esti- 

 mate of sac roe only). 



smaller spawning stock, estimated in 1 '■^) I m 400 

 tons. Population estimates have not been made 

 for the Crescent City herring stock, but observed 

 spawning suggests that the population is large 

 enough to support a minor fisher\' there. 



ALASKA PELAGIC FISHERIES 



Pacific Herring 



Pacific herring is the major pelagic species that 

 is harvested in Alaska, fhe fisheries occur in 

 specific inshore spawning areas of the Gulf" of 

 Alaska and the Bering Sea. In the Gult oi Alaska, 

 spawning tlsh concentrate mainly off southeast 

 Alaska, in Prince William Sound, and around the 

 Kodiak Island-Cook Inlet area. In the Bering Sea, 

 the centers ot abundance are in northern Bristol 

 Bay and Norton Sound. 1 his fisherv occurs within 

 state waters {3-miIe limit), and it is therefore 

 monitored and managed by the Alaska 

 Department of Fish and Game by 20 separate 

 fishery statistical areas. 



Herring spawn every year after reaching sexual 

 maturity at 5 or 4 years of age. I he number ot 

 eggs varies with the age of the fish and averages 

 20,000. Average life span for these fish is about 8 

 years in southeast Alaska and up to 16 years in the 

 Bering Sea. 



Alaska's herring industry began as early as 1 878 

 when 30,000 pounds were marketed for human 

 consumption. Ihe total value was $900. By 1934 

 the catch had reached a record 140,000 t. The 

 Bering Sea fishery began in the late 1920's. A large 

 foreign offshore fishery developed in the 1950's 

 and peaked dramatically in 1970 at more than 

 145,000 t. It then fell off sharply to 16,000 t in 

 1975 (Figure 14-7). Since 1977 Bering Sea herring 

 have been harvested primarily in inshore sac roe 

 fisheries, and catches have since risen slowly but 

 steadily, reflecting better stock conditions. A 

 portion of the Bering Sea harvest is taken as 

 bycatch in the groundfish fishery. Regulations now 

 limit bycatch to about 1,000 t. 



From catch records, it is e\idciu tliat herring 

 biomass fluctuates widely due to influences of 

 strong and weak year-classes.' Currently the 

 herring populations in Alaska remain at moderate 

 levels and are in relatively stable condition, with 

 the exception of Prince William Sound. Herring 

 abundance levels typically increase abruptly 

 following major recruitment events, then decline 

 slowly over a number of years because of natural 

 and fishing mortalit)-. Prince William Sound 

 herring continue to be depressed from a disease 

 outbreak in 1993, but have recovered to above- 

 threshold levels. In more recent years, statewide 

 herring harvests have averaged about 45,000 t with 

 a value averaging around $30,000,000. About 

 10% of the commercial harvest is taken for food 

 and bait, and the rest is taken in the sac roe 

 fisheries. In addition, there is a roe-on-kelp fishery 

 that harvests about 400 t of product annually with 

 a value of around $3,000,000. Fhe 1998 sac roe 

 fisheries was forecast to be about 45,900 t, with a 

 stock status ranging from moderate to high, while 

 the Prince William Sound status remains at a 

 depressed level. 



ISSUES 



Transboundary Stocks and Jurisdiction 



Mackerels, sardines, and anchovy are 

 transboundary stocks exploited by both U.S. and 



'A year-class comprises the new generation of yniin;; fish en- 

 tering a stock in the same year. 



1 72 



