Prince William Sound’s commercial shrimp pot fishery opens for the season on April 15 in area 3 with a guideline harvest level of 67,200 pounds.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game managers note that all participants must have in possession a 2018 P09E or P91E interim use permit available from the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission and a Prince William Sound area vessel registration. CFEC permits may be applied for online at
http://www.cfec.state.ak.us/forms/Commercial_Fishing_Permit_Application.pdf or via paper forms at Alaska Department of Fish and Game offices.
The registration deadline is April 2.
ADF&G also announced a reduction in the number of allowable pots per vessel in the 2018 Prince William Sound sport and subsistence shrimp pot fishery, from five to four pots.
That season also begins on April 15 and runs through Sept. 15. Prince William Sound sport and subsistence shrimp permits are available online at www.adfg.alaska.gov/Store/
Participants are required to have a permit on their person while shrimping.
Last year the sport and subsistence shrimp fishery had a 100,000-pound guideline harvest level and an estimated 91,827 pounds of shrimp was harvested with a four-pot limit.
In an effort to not exceed the 2018 sport and subsistence shrimp GHL of 100,800 pounds, a four-pot limit is warranted, state fishery biologists said.
