The Alaska Department of Fish and Game planned to take their first survey flight of the Togiak District on Thursday to look for signs of herring in the District. However, the Department took a look early based in part on a pilot report of fish spotted in the shallows of Togiak Bay on Sunday. Tim Sands is the Area Management Biologist for the upcoming Togiak sac-roe herring fishery. He confirms that Tuesday’s survey didn’t turn up any signs of herring, sea lions, or grey whales. “Everything is ice free. The only thing that is not as far along as it would seem is the water temperature.” The NOAA sea surface temperature map puts the water temperature in Togiak Bay at about 1-degree Celsius. Herring normally start showing up once the temperature reaches about 3-degrees Celsius. Sands says there doesn’t appear to be any tenders or fishing vessels on the grounds in the Togiak District quite yet. “Now that something has been seen over there people are probably going to start moving that direction.”
Sands is asking fishermen or others on the fishing grounds for any information they have about water temperatures and he would like a call if anybody spots sea lions, whales or herring. The next aerial survey is scheduled for Friday. The informational updates for the Togiak sac-roe herring fishery can heard by calling the recorded message line at 842-5226
