A purse seine net filled with Pacific herring in Prince William Sound Alaska

Purse seine net filled with Pacific herring in Prince William Sound Alaska. The seine net is deployed off the research vessel R/V Solstice (owned and operated by Alaska Department of Fish and Game) during a joint collection effort with the USGS to sample fish for an annual disease survey in the sound. Collection of herring is rare during the daytime. The fish are generally too deep in the water column during the day to collect in a purse seine. Most sampling occurs after 10 p.m. when the herring come up to feed.