The global economic crisis does not appear to have impacted herring prices, which are expected to be about $600 per ton, up about $50 from 2008 and three times the $200 per ton paid in 2006.

The 2008 season was worth an average of $190,000 per permit, a total of $8.9 million, although it was hardly evenly distributed. One mammoth set was worth nearly $1 million all on its own. This year's catch should come to about $173,000 per permit, or $8.6 million.

Gov. Sarah Palin had until Wednesday to pick one of 10 people vying for a single seat on the Board of Fisheries currently held by Bonnie Williams, a Fairbanks angler who would like to be re-appointed for the three-year term.

Others who threw their names in the hat included Brent Johnson of Clam Gulch, a setnetter who is head of the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association; two Anchorage sport fishermen, Robin Childs and Bob Churchill, who is also a former subsistence adviser for United Fishermen of Alaska; Dianne Dubuc of Seward, a charter operator and former commercial troller; Bob Heinrichs, commercial and subsistence fisherman from Cordova; Michael Huston of Eagle River, vice president of Totem Equipment and Supply and a former Alaska heavy weight boxing champion; Nancy Morris Lyon of King Salmon, co-owner and operator of Katmai Fishing Adventures; and Stanley Malcom of Petersburg, president of the local charter boat association. Brandii O'Reagan of Nikiski also applied, but gave no information other than a Kenai post office box.

Palin's appointment of Karl Johnstone to the seat vacated by Jeremiah Campbell of Seward has yet to be confirmed by the Legislature. Her decision on William's seat was not yet available at press time.

Bristol Bay salmon fishermen are anticipating a substantial drop in the 2009 run, with fewer than 34 million sockeye forecasted to return to the Bay, down 21 percent from the 5-year average of 43 million fish, and a substantial drop from the 40.7 million return last year. However, the projected commercial catch of 25 million sockeye may not fall too far below the 2008 actual catch of 27.7 million fish.

The pre-season forecast for 2008 was for a commercial catch of 31.4 million sockeye, but a huge push of fish arriving all at once plugged tenders and processors and forced buyers to put fishermen on daily poundage limits, allowing millions of fish to swim by unhindered.

The processing capacity survey for the 2009 season conducted by the state in February to determine whether to allow foreign processors to operate in the Bay had predictable results, with the 13 processors responding indicating that they were prepared to handle 30.7 million fish, with a daily processing capacity of 1.8 million fish, 100,000 fish more than the estimated capacity in 2008.

Processors are planning to have 3 percent more tender capacity on hand as well.

Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist. She can be reached at realist468@gmail.com.