Togiak Herring Forecast is Robust
The mature herring biomass forecast for 2022 is 357,536 tons, Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials say, which is the highest forecast since an age-structured assessment model was first used in 1993.
Given the 20% exploitation rate, the coming year’s potential harvest is 71,507 tons in all fisheries and 65,107 tons in the Togiak sac roe fisheries, which are harvested with purse seine and gillnet gear.
The gear group allocation specified in the Bristol Bay Herring Management Plan is for 80% purse seine and 20% gillnet.
Togiak herring are targeted for their roe, but those markets have been declining in recent years.
A year ago, the harvest forecast was for 47,348 tons of herring in all Togiak fisheries and 42,639 tons in the Togiak sac roe purse seine and gillnet harvest.
“The ...