Prince William Sound’s trawl fishery for sidestripe shrimp opens April 15, with guideline harvest levels set at 65,950 pounds for the Wells Section, 33,000 pounds for the combined central and southwest sections, and 14,000 pounds for the northwest section.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials advise that harvesters must possess a 2017 P07E or P17E interim use permit available from the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission and a PWS area vessel registration. CFEC permits are available at http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/forms.Commercial_Fishing_Permit_Application.pdf or paper forms at ADF&G. Registrations and required log sheets are at ADF&G offices in Cordova, Anchorage and Homer.
Shrimp trawls must meet state requirements which specify codend mesh size and orientation and a fish excluder device to reduce bycatch of non-target species. Timely reporting of shrimp landings is critical to successful management of this fishery. Fishermen must telephone the department at 907-424-7215 within 24 hours of a landing and provide catch reports. All fish tickets, accompanied by completed log sheets, must be received in the Cordova, Anchorage or Homer office within seven days of landing.
Fishery management and other pertinent regulations are in Chapters 31 and 39 of the 2015-2018 Statewide Commercial Shrimp, Dungeness Crab and Miscellaneous Shellfish Fishing Regulations book. Which is available at the above ADF&G offices or at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishregulations.commercial
Prospective fishery participants should thoroughly review the regulatory requirements for this fishery and contact ADF&G with questions.
