July 9, 2014 — At the end of June, herring returned to Auke Bay to spawn in significant numbers for the first time in more than 20 years – and though the ultimate success of the eggs remains to be seen, it's a promising sign for those working to increase herring's abundance in Lynn Canal and Southeast Alaska.
Lynn Canal herring stocks have been depressed for decades. For the last seven years until recently, first Lynn Canal and then Southeast herring stocks were under consideration for listing as an endangered species, but neither population was deemed distinct enough for the listing.
The herring fishery closed in Lynn Canal and around Juneau in 1982, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The spawning biomass has, for the most part, been less than 2,000 tons. Between 2001 and 2004, it was less than 1,000 tons.
More recent surveys point to significant improvement, and the return of herring to Auke Bay gives hope to those who remember the abundance of decades past. Dwain Reddekopp is one of those; he grew up there.
"There used to be milt all the way from Berners Bay down to Tee Harbor," he said. "There was a big herring pod in Indian Cove, where halibut fishermen got fresh bait before they went out … Back when we were kids growing up in Auke Bay, we could go sport fishing (and) we never had to buy herring."
Spawn volume is measured in miles, said marine ecologist Michelle Ridgway. The area used to consistently have at least 12 to 13 miles of spawn. But since the 1980s, there's been less than a mile. In recent years, it's been just small areas.
Read the full story at Capital City Weeky