Alaska Fishery Nets Mountain of Herring

Fishermen in Sitka, Alaska, netted more than 10,000 tons of Pacific herring in just one day last week, the majority of the annual quota.

Fishing regulations for sac roe herring this year were eased when state biologists decided the spawning fish would reach record numbers and set the quota at 14,723 tons.

The current price for the fish is $550 per ton, making for a $5.5 million day on the water.

Fisherman Chip Treinen told the Anchorage Daily News that the nets were so full of the fish they had to be pumped into the boats while still in the water. "For those of us who were in the area, we were like kids in a candy store," he said.

Also aiding fishermen was the fact the herring were in shallow waters, meaning they were unable to swim deeper when the fishing nets hit the water.

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