The Prince William Sound parallel Pacific cod season closures for jig and pot gear coincided with their respective closures in the adjacent federal Central Gulf of Alaska regulatory area. The Prince William Sound parallel season closure for longline gear coincided with the federal closure of the less than 50-foot hook and line gear sector in the Central Gulf.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game notes that directed fishing for all groundfish species is closed in waters within three nautical miles of two Steller sea lion rookeries within Prince William Sound and that certain waters are closed to fishing with groundfish pot gear. Specific regulatory language regarding Stellar sea lion protection areas is available by calling 1-907-481-1780 or online at https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/fisheries/sslpm.
The directed fishery for walleye Pollock using pelagic trawl gear in Prince William Sound opens at noon on Jan. 20 with a guideline harvest level of 6.6 million pounds. The registration deadline for this fishery is also Jan. 14 and is available only to individuals who have a 2019 miscellaneous saltwater finfish permit card for trawl gear. Permit card applications can be obtained at ADF&G offices, online at www.cfec.state.ak.us or by calling the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission at 1-907-789-6160.