Pot limits for the noncommercial Prince William Sound area shrimp pot fishery, which runs from April 15 through Sept. 15, have been reduced for the 2020 season from five to three per person and per vessel.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials announced on Tuesday, March 10, that this year’s fishery would be prosecuted in Area 2, including Port Wells, Port Nellie Juan and Kings Bay.
The Prince William Sounds shrimp management plan allocates 60 percent of the allowable harvest to noncommercial and 40 percent to commercial fisheries.
There are no daily or annual bag limits for the fishery, which has a total allowable harvest limit of 170,200 pounds of shrimp, of which 102,100 pounds is allocated for sport and subsistence harvesters. During the 2019 season the guideline harvest level for noncommercial shrimp fishery was also 102,100 pounds. The harvest was estimated to be 102,919 pounds with a pot limit of three. To target the allowable harvest for the 2020 season, a three-pot limit is warranted, said ADF&G biologists.
Prince William Sound sport and subsistence shrimp permits will be available online the last week of March. All participants are required to have a permit with them while fishing. Participants may report their harvest online after they are finished fishing for shrimp for the season, and in any event must report by the due date. Those who report online with a valid email address will receive an emailed confirmation when their harvest is reported.
For additional information for subsistence and commercial shrimp pot fisheries, contact Jan Rumble or Elisa Russ in Homer at 907-235-8191.
