The Prince William Sound area parallel Pacific cod season for pot, jig and longline vessels (less than 50 feet in length) gear closes at midnight on Friday, Dec. 31, and the 2022 parallel Pacific cod season then immediately opens to vessels using pot, jig and longline gear at 12:01 a.m. Jan 1.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials remind commercial harvesters that all fish must be landed within 24 hours following the closure of the 2021 parallel Pacific cod season and prior to participating in the 2022 parallel season.
Parallel Pacific cod seasons are established via emergency order to coincide with the season dates and gear types set by the National Marine Fisheries Service for the initial Pacific cod season in the adjacent federal Central Gulf of Alaska regulatory area.
The Prince William Sound parallel Pacific cod season for jig and pot gear closes by emergency order to coincide with their respective closures in the Central Gulf. The Prince William Sound parallel season closure for longline gear will coincide with the federal closure of the less than 50-foot hook-and-line gear sector in the Central Gulf.
Harvesters are reminded to obtain a Prince William Sound parallel Pacific cod season registration from ADF&G prior to fishing and of the requirement for harvesters using pot or longline gear in parallel P-cod fisheries to have a functioning, activated, NMFS-approved vessel monitoring system and to adhere to federal seabird avoidance measured as required in longline fisheries for groundfish in the Outside District of Prince William Sound.
Additional information on seabird avoidance measures is on the NOAA website.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ADF&G is urging the public to ask questions by phone.
Contact the Homer office at 907-235-8191 with groundfish regulatory and registration questions. Registrations are also available from ADF&G in Cordova, Anchorage Soldotna and Kodiak if registration must be completed in person.
