Fish and Game closes Malina Bay herring fishery for season

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed the Malina Bay section of the North Afognak District to commercial herring sac roe fishing at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2026, for the remainder of the 2026 Kodiak A season.

Emergency Order 4-FH-K-06-26 shut down fishing in the Malina Bay Section, designated WA20, which sits about 30 miles north of the city of Kodiak on Afognak Island. The closure affects commercial fishers targeting herring during the spring sac roe season, when herring are harvested for their eggs.

The North Afognak District has a total guideline harvest level of 750 tons spread across five sections. Malina Bay accounts for 100 tons of that quota. Other sections include Raspberry Strait at 100 tons, Paramanof and Foul Bays at 300 tons combined, Delphin and Perenosa Bays at 50 tons combined, and Tonki at 50 tons.

The department issued the emergency order under its authority to close fisheries when harvest quotas are reached or when stock protection measures are needed. The order did not specify whether the closure resulted from meeting the 100-ton quota or from biological concerns about the herring population.

Delphin and Perenosa Bays in the same district closed earlier in April, according to a separate emergency order. The pattern of closures suggests fishers are moving quickly through available quotas in the North Afognak District this season.

Historical data shows the Malina Bay, Paramanof, and Foul Bays areas have produced 885 tons of herring in past seasons, though annual harvests vary based on stock abundance and fishing effort.

The Kodiak management area herring fishery operates under a dual-season structure. The A season targets sac roe, the valuable herring eggs used in Asian markets. The B season, which runs later in the year, focuses on food and bait herring. As of January 2026, the food and bait fishery had 390 tons remaining in its guideline harvest level.

Other districts in the Kodiak management area remain open for herring fishing. West Afognak District has a 100-ton guideline harvest level for the food and bait season, providing alternative fishing opportunities for permit holders.

The herring sac roe fishery represents a small but economically significant part of Kodiak's commercial fishing economy. Fishers typically pursue herring in the spring when the fish gather in nearshore bays to spawn. The timing and location of spawning aggregations vary from year to year based on water temperature and other environmental factors.

Emergency orders are the primary management tool the department uses to open and close herring fisheries. Managers monitor spawning activity and fishing effort closely, issuing orders sometimes within hours as conditions change. This approach allows the department to protect spawning stocks while providing harvest opportunities.