By Margaret Bauman
No matter the day, month or year, somewhere in Alaska a commercial fishery is likely happening, given an allowable biomass that’s confirmed under the watchful eyes of state and federal fisheries managers.
From shellfish fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to pot and jig cod in the groundfish fisheries and the winter troll for king salmon in Southeast Alaska, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and NOAA Fisheries are busy year-round managing them all, with emergency openers and closures as needed.
Along with annual biomass surveys and other data collected on the abundance of stock in each fishery, state and federal managers need to contend with other issues, including recording incidental catch of species not targeted, weather conditions, ocean temperatures and other climate change-related issues.
At times, even when fisheries are open and weather conditions are suitable, harvesters may choose not to fish because prices offered to them by processors are not to their liking, or there simply are not sufficient available markets.
The markets themselves are a complex issue, subject to global competition, politics and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fisheries.
Generally speaking, in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska federal and state groundfish fisheries open at midnight on Jan. 1 and close at midnight on Dec. 31 unless otherwise listed, Krista Milani, a fishery management specialist with the Sustainable Fisheries Division of NOAA Fisheries at Dutch Harbor told Fishermen’s News.
Two of the biggest groundfish fisheries by weight and value are pollock and cod.
The dates of these groundfish openers vary by gear type. The “A” season for the federal Bering Sea pollock fishery opens on Jan. 1 and runs through June 10, followed by the “B” season from June 10 through Nov. 1.
Cod fisheries managed by NOAA include:
BSAI hook-and-line Pacific cod – “A” season Jan. 1-June 10; B season June 10-Dec. 31.
BSAI trawl Pacific cod – “A” season Jan. 20-April 1; “B” season April 1- June 10; “C” season June 10-Nov. 1. The exceptions are Amendment 80 and Community Development Quota groups, which may fish until Dec. 31
BSAI pot Pacific cod – “A” season Jan. 1-June 10; “B” season Sept. 1-Dec. 31.
BSAI jig Pacific cod – “A” season Jan. 1-April 30; “B” season April 30-Aug. 31; “C” season Aug. 31-Sept. 31
Gulf of Alaska (GOA) includes:
GOA pollock – “A” season –Jan. 20-May 31; “B” season Sept. 1-Nov. 1
GOA hook-and-line and pot Pacific cod – “A” season Jan. 1-June 10; “B” season Sept. 1-Dec. 31
GOA trawl Pacific cod – “A” season Jan. 20-June 10; “B” season Sept. 1- Nov. 1.
GOA jig Pacific cod – “A” season. 1-June 10; “B” season June 10-Dec. 31
CGOA rockfish program – April 1-Dec. 31
For the Eastern Aleutians, Eastern and Bering Sea:
Asia Beder, an assistant area management biologist for NOAA at Dutch Harbor, provided data on six shellfish fisheries:
Eastern Aleutian Islands golden king crab – Aug. 1-April 30
Western Aleutian Islands golden king crab – Aug. 1- April 30
Bristol Bay red king crab – Oct. 15, 2024-Jan. 15, 2025
State Fisheries
Bairdi Tanner crab pot Jan. 1 through mid-March
Opilio Tanner crab pot Jan. 1-May 30
Blue king crab pot Jan. 1 to early February
Golden king crab Jan. 1-April 30
Dungeness crab May 1 to mid-October
Scallops Jan. 1 to mid-February
Red king crab pot early January and mid-October to Dec. 31
Cod mid-February to Dec. 31 for trawl, longline, pot and jig
Rockfish jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Sablefish lot/longline mid-March to mid-November
Alaska Peninsula
Chinook salmon gillnet June/July
Sockeye salmon gillnet/seine June 1-Sept. 30
Herring mid-May-June 30
Dungeness crab pot May 1-Dec. 31
Tanner crab pot mid-January to mid-March
Shrimp Pot/trawl Jan. 1 to March 15 and May 15 to Dec. 31
Scallops dredge Jan. 1 to early March
Cod pot/jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Rockfish pot Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Bristol Bay
Chinook salmon gillnet mid-May to Sept. 30
Coho salmon gillnet – June 1 to Sept. 30
Pink salmon gillnet June 1 to Sept. 30
Sockeye salmon gillnet June 1 to Sept. 30
Chum salmon gillnet June 1 to Sept. 30
Herring gillnet/seine bait mid-April to May 31
Roe on Kelp hand mid-April to May 31
Kodiak
Sockeye salmon
seine/gillnet June 1-Sept. 30
Herring trawl/seine Jan. 1-Feb. 28
Herring sac roe seine/gillnet mid-April-June 30
Dungeness crab pot May 1-Dec. 31
Tanner crab pot mid-January to March 31
Shrimp trawl Jan. 1-Feb. 28; mid-June to Dec. 31
Shrimp pot Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Scallops dredge Jan. 1 to mid-February
Sea urchins dive Jan. 1-Jan. 31
Sea cucumber dive Jan. 1- April 30
Cod pot/jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Rockfish jig Jan. 1- Dec. 31
Chignik
Sockeye salmon purse seine June 1-Sept. 30
Cod pot and jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Rockfish jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Prince William Sound/Copper River
Chinook salmon gillnet mid-May to June 30
Coho salmon gillnet/seine mid-August to mid-October
Pink salmon gillnet/seine mid-June to mid-September
Sockeye salmon gillnet mid-May to mid-August
Chum salmon gillnet/seine June 1-Aug. 30
Shrimp pot mid-April to mid-September
Shrimp trawl mid-April to mid-August
Pacific cod state waters longline/pot/jig March 1-Dec. 31
Pollock trawl mid-January to March 30
Lingcod jig bycatch only July 1 to Dec. 31, longline
Cook Inlet (Upper)
Chinook salmon gillnet June 1-July 31
Pink salmon gillnet June 1-Aug. 31
Sockeye salmon gillnet mid-June to mid-August
Cook Inlet (Lower)
Sockeye salmon gillnet/seine June 1 to mid-August
Chum salmon gillnet/seine mid-June to Aug. 31
Cook Inlet
Herring sac roe and foot bait mid-April May 31
Razor clam shovel Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Hardshell clam rake March 1-Dec. 31
Pacific cod, parallel Jan. 1-Dec. 31
state waters pot/jig
Rockfish, bycatch Jan. 1-Dec. 31
only/mandatory full retention jig directed
Yakutat
Sockeye salmon setnet/gillnet June 1 to mid-August
Scallop dredge Jan. 1 to mid-February
Pacific cod longline/jig/pot Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Rockfish jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Lingcod jig mid-May-Nov. 30
Southeast Alaska
Chinook salmon spring troll May 1-June 30
Coho salmon seine/gillnet/troll June 1 to mid-October
Pink salmon seine/ gillnet/troll June 1 to mid-October
Sockeye salmon seine/gillnet mid-June to mid-September
Chum salmon seine/ mid-June to mid-October
gillnet/troll
Herring food/bait seine Jan. 1-Feb. 28
and Oct. 1-Dec. 31
Southeast Alaska
Herring sac roe seine/gillnet mid-March to mid-May
Herring roe on kelp pound mid-March to mid-May
Red/blue king crab pot Jan. 1-Jan. 31
and Nov. 1-Dec. 31
Golden king crab pot mid-February to mid-June
(may be extended)
Dungeness crab pot Jan. 1-31; mid-June to mid-August and Oct. 1-Dec. 31
Tanner crab pot mid-February to March 30
Shrimp beam trawl Jan. 1- Feb. 28
and May 1-Dec. 31
Shrimp pot Jan. 1- March 30;
mid-May to July 31
Geoducks dive Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Red Urchin dive Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Sea cucumber dive Jan. 1-March 30
and Oct. 1-Dec. 31
Rockfish jig Jan. 1-Dec. 31
Rockfish longline Jan. 1 to mid-March
Sablefish South June 1 to mid-August
Southeast longline
Lingcod jig mid-May to Nov. 30
Cod jig/pot/longline Jan. 1 – Dec. 31
Kuskokwim River
Chum salmon gillnet mid-June to July 31
Yukon River
Chinook salmon June 1-July 31
gillnet/fish wheel
Summer chum mid- June to mid-August
gillnet/fish wheel
Norton Sound
Chinook salmon gillnet mid-June to mid-July
Pink salmon gillnet late-June to mid-July
Chum salmon gillnet mid-June to mid-July
Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim
Herring sac roe gillnet/seine * May 1-31
Margaret Bauman can be reached at margie@maritimepublishing.com