Large numbers of salmon are caught with seines in Southeastern Alaska, Central Alaska and Western Alaska up to the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. No purse seining is allowed west of the Alaska Peninsula on the north side. Purse seiners are generally larger than gillnetters, but by Alaska law may be no longer than 58 feet. Seiners are larger than gillnetters, so that they can operate in the sometimes stormy fjords and channels found in some parts of the state. A purse seine is a net which is set in a circle and can be drawn closed at the bottom.
Because salmon migrate in tight schools, it is not unusual for an Alaskan seiner to catch 250 to 1,500 fish or more with one set. In addition, the salmon’s tendency to swim and jump on the surface reveals the school’s location as it moves through the water. When not actually engaged in setting or retrieving the net, every person on a purse seiner is watching the water for a sign of fish.
Large numbers of salmon are caught with seines in Southeastern Alaska, Central Alaska and Western Alaska up to the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. No purse seining is allowed west of the Alaska Peninsula on the north side. Purse seiners are generally larger than gillnetters, but by Alaska law may be no longer than 58 feet. Seiners are larger than gillnetters, so that they can operate in the sometimes stormy fjords and channels found in some parts of the state. A purse seine is a net which is set in a circle and can be drawn closed at the bottom.
