Dutch Harbor's commercial herring season is off to a slow start.
Since opening July 1, seiners have harvested about one quarter of their 1,810-ton quota in the Unalaska and Akutan districts.
"Some of the reports I get from the processors say the fish are deeper than normal," said biologist Lucas Stumpf of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "They're having a little difficulty catching them in the volumes that they're used to, just because the fish seem to be deeper at the moment."
Stumpf said just a few boats are participating in the small fishery, which provides bait for Bering Sea crab fishermen.
As usual, no one fished with gillnet gear, so the 253-ton gillnet quota has been added to the seiners' allocation.
