MARINE FISHERIES INVESTIGATIONS 



HERRING 



The herring reduction fishery in 1957 continued its upward trend for the third year. 



The season's total catch by the reduction fishery was 57,338 tons as compared to 51,310 



tons taken in 1956. The overall catch approached the Alaskan production average for the 

 past 30 years (fig. 33)- 



The new year class entering the fishery was not strong, and in all fishery districts 

 the catch this year, as last, was dependent upon a single age group. As figure 3^ indi- 

 cates, fish in their fourth year meuie up about 80 percent of the catch. 



In spite of the natural mortality which reduced the numbers of the dominant year 



class, the catch per boat -ton day remained high. 



Figure 33. --Total Alaskan herring catch 



Thes seasonal average of this unit, 

 which is one index of abundance , in- 

 creased in 1957 for Prince William 

 Sound, remained the same on Kodiak, 

 and dropped somewhat in Southeastern 

 Alaska. 



The herring fishery of Alaska, as 

 in similar fisheries throughout the 

 world, is dependent upon the presence 

 of one or more dominant year classes. 

 These good spawning survivals usually 

 appear as two-yBar-olds in the fishery. 

 As previously shown (fig. 3^+), there 

 has been no evidence of a strong enter- 

 ing year class in next year's fishery, 

 and the present stock of three -year- 

 old fish is not conspicuously evident. 

 Unless a strong new age group enters 



100- 

 80- 

 60 

 40- 

 20- 

 0- 



100- 

 80- 

 60- 

 40- 

 20 

 



PRINCE WILLIAM 

 SOUND 



SOUTH EAST 



-I h-n-.- 



n m , 



KODIAK 



UL 



LL^ 



r-n-l 



1957 



hTL 



tn. 



I TlMWY'il.'SlWII 



I nnrnvni 



AGE GROUP 



I n HI IT Tn 'siw 



Figure 34. --Alaskan herring - percentage 

 age composition 



TOTAL CATCH 

 NUMBER OF BOATS 



1935 



1940 



1945 



1950 



1955 



Figure 35. --Southeastern Alaska herring fishery 

 catch, boats, and effort 



19 



