Ketchikan: Ketchikan Community Risk Level Raised to HIGH; Ketchikan High School Closed Through Friday, May 7th - The Ketchikan Emergency Operations Center and Ketchikan School District have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases in the past couple of weeks, including an increase in community spread cases. There are 12 new cases reported in Ketchikan today, and 9 cases reported on Monday. Seven of those cases were determined to be close contacts to a known positive case, three were attributed to community spread, three were determined to be related to recent travel, and eight of the cases remain under investigation. In the past 10 days, there have been more than 10 positive cases attributed to staff or students of the Ketchikan High School.
Commercial fishery hauls slow down as major spawning begins in Sitka Sound
Posted by Katherine Rose | Apr 7, 2021
The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring fishery remained open for the 11th day in a row Tuesday (4-6-21)
Seiners hauled in around 900 tons of herring during Monday’s opening, according to a press release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Estimates are not yet available for today’s/Tuesday’s opener. To date, the commercial fleet has harvested around 14,700-tons of herring, cumulatively.
State biologists observed around 20.0 nautical miles of spawn during an aerial survey Tuesday morning. The majority of the spawn was concentrated along the Kruzof Island shoreline from Lava Island to Rob Point. Spawn was also observed near the Magoun Islands, from Point Brown to Kresta Point, Promisla and Eastern Bays, as well as Whiting Harbor, near Indian River, and Pirates Cove.
Herring fishery exceeds 13,000 tons, now open daily
Posted by Katherine Rose | Apr 5, 2021
(Photo provided by Rich McClear)
The Sitka Sound Sac Roe Herring fishery opened for the eighth day in a row on Sunday (4-4-21).
The fishery was open for five hours, and fishermen caught around 1700 tons of herring. According to a press release from ADF&G, the fishery captured around 1400 tons when it was open for two-and-a-half hours on Saturday.
13,800 tons have been harvested since the fishery first opened on March 27. The state has set a guideline harvest level of 33,000 tons.
Beginning today (4-5-21) the fishery will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily until ADF&G announces a closure, in the waters of Deep Inlet and Aleutkina Bay, south of Povorotni Point, and north of Aspid Cape except for the waters of Whale and Necker Bays.