65 



. Jack Mackerel 



Mackerel stocks are thought to be about 

 1 .5 million t, but their potential yield is little 

 more than an educated guess. Develop- 

 ment of more reliable estimates of stock 

 size and potential yield awaits collection of 

 more data on age structure and reproduc- 

 tive biology which could allow interpreta- 

 tion of existing egg and larval survey data. 



The Pacific Fishery Management Coun- 

 cil has begun to transfer jack mackerel 

 management from the Groundfish FMP to 

 a new Coastal Pelagics FMP. This will allow 

 both the southern California and the off- 

 shore mackerels to be managed in the 

 same plan. 



Pacific Herring 



Pacific herrings range throughout Alaska 

 waters. Major concentrations in the Gulf of 

 Alaska occur in southeastern Alaska, 

 Prince William Sound, and Kodiak Island- 

 Cook Inlet. Northern Bristol Bay and Nor- 

 ton Sound are major centers of abundance 

 in the Bering Sea. Fewer herrings are found 

 in the Chukchi Sea and Arctic Ocean; fish- 

 able concentrations have only been found 

 in Kotzebue Sound. 



Herrings are fished in state waters, and 

 they are managed by the Alaska Depart- 

 ment of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Since 

 the early 1970's, fishermen have concen- 

 trated on harvesting roe-herring, though a 

 small amount is taken for bait. Herrings 

 were harvested in the eastern Bering Sea 

 EEZ by foreign fisheries from 1 959 to 1 980 

 when allocations ended, prohibiting her- 

 ring harvests in Federal waters. 



The ADF&G regulates and monitors 20 

 separate herring fisheries, in which 40,700 

 t valued at $27 million were harvested in 



1990. Most were roe-herring (34,500 t), 

 and the rest went for food and bait (6,200 

 t) and roe-on-kelp (400 t). 



Gulf of Alaska harvests have averaged 

 1 8,000 1 since 1 977 (Fig. 1 4-3). Bering Sea 

 catches rose from 14,000 1 in 1977 to peak 

 at nearly 37,000 1 in 1 985. Since 1 985, that 

 catch has been declining. Herrings taken 

 in the Bering Sea groundfish fishery cannot 

 be retained, but are counted as part of the 

 catch. The herring bycatch averaged 

 2,000-4,000 t in the foreign and joint-ven- 

 ture fisheries, but may have been higher in 

 the domestic trawl fishery. 



Overall herring abundance in the Gulf of 

 Alaska is at moderate to high levels, 

 though some stocks are depressed or de- 

 clining. A strong 1984 year-class is re- 

 ported in most fisheries. Also, the very 

 strong 1988 year-class reported in south- 

 eastern Alaska and Prince William Sound 

 waters is expected to further boost Gulf of 

 Alaska herring abundance in 1992. 



Figure 14-3— Pacific herring 

 landings in the Gulf of Alaska 

 and eastern Bering Sea, 1977-90. 



60 



o 



o 



o 



Bering Sea landings 

 Gulf of Alaska landings 



1969 



