Tribe calls for changes in management of Sitka herring

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Natives concerned with overharvest of herring in waters off Sitka have taken their concerns to state court and the street.

The Juneau Empire reports more than a dozen people demonstrated Tuesday at the Dimond Courthouse to bring attention to a court hearing inside.

The Sitka Tribe of Alaska in December sued the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, calling for the department to take better care of herring in Sitka Sound.

The tribe has pushed for management changes to protect declining herring but has failed to persuade the state Board of Fisheries to make changes.

The tribe says commercial overfishing has impeded subsistence fishermen who rely on herring roe.

Multiple board members have said regulations already provide “a reasonable opportunity for subsistence uses.”