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Fish and Game watching sea surface temperatures ahead of Togiak herring fishery

Warm sea surface temperatures may encourage an early start to the herring fishery again this year.

Seine and gill net boats, and their buyers, are beginning to prepare for the Togiak sac roe herring fishery. The Department of Fish and Game is closely watching the sea surface temperature as an indicator of when the herring will arrive to spawn. KDLG’s Dave Bendinger has more:

Audio transcript below:

The Togiak Herring fishing district is now ice free. That means that Tim Sands, an area management biologist in the Dillingham Fish and Game office, is keeping track of NOAA’s satellite data on the temperature of the sea surface around the district:

"We're kind of looking for a 2 degree (C) temperature, that's when I'll really start getting interested to see how things are going over there, and maybe start flying. We know that generally we have to have three-plus degree water for the herring to start showing up and spawning," said Sands.

Sands says he’ll probably start flying aerial surveys around April 20, and expects to see some herring by then. Right now Sands says there is minus one degree water north of Newenham and mostly zero degrees around Togiak Bay.

"And the two degree line looks like it's coming out of Egegik or Ugashik. You know a good storm from the south could push some warmer water in. I think the long sunny days help. If it's calm and sunny, that'll warm up the waters, too," he said.

The Department of Fish and Game says the earliest harvest on record was April 23 back in 2003. Last year the fishery started on April 27. There’s no doubt this year is warmer than usual, so most are gearing up for an earlier than average start, perhaps around the 24.

Sands says he has five processors registered to buy, and nine gillnetters and 16 or 17 seiners appear to be fishing.

Most signs indicate a grounds price of $50 per ton this year. There’s just over 29,000 tons allocated for this year’s Togiak sac roe herring fishery, which is the largest of its kind in the state.