The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is soliciting bids to conduct a test fishery harvesting herring with purse seine or drift gillnet gear near Kayak Island during spring of 2024.

The Request for Quotation (RFQ) format for this test fishery will be done in three lots at a maximum of 50 tons of herring/lot. Lots are intended to provide the opportunity for separation of fishing effort and provide opportunity for up to three permit holders; there is no geographic or temporal separation required and vessels may fish more than one lot at a time. All harvest, defined as harvestable biomass during the opening window of the fishery, must come from the area around Kayak Island (Figure 1). The department is seeking to generate a maximum of $15,000 from a herring test fishery at Kayak Island.  Revenues generated from the herring test fishery will be used to supplement Area E herring stock assessment and management. The minimum bid amount the department will consider is $100/ton.  The department will accept bids for up to 50 tons of herr_jcbing/lot for an overall maximum harvest of 150 tons. Interested parties can bid on multiple lots. The harvest of herring under this contract will be conducted during the period March 25, 2024 – April 20, 2024. The vessel/s used to harvest may be required to assist the department in assessing the distribution of the herring biomass on Kayak Island to determine where the largest concentrations are located. One or two department biologists may be on board during harvesting.

Please see attached RFQ for more details.

Issue Date: 3.26.2024
Deadline for Quotes:  4.5.2024, 2:00 PM AKST

Procurement Officer: Eric Verrelli - eric.verrelli@alaska.gov