The Aleutian Islands Subdistrict state-waters Pacific cod fishery management plan allows harvest limits and exclusivity to be removed any time after March 15, if it is determined the guideline harvest level (GHL) will not be caught before December 31, 2025. Current harvest data indicates regulation changes are warranted to provide for maximum fishing opportunity.

Effective 12:01 am March 16, 2026, vessels 100 feet or less overall length (OAL) using pot gear, vessels 60 feet or less OAL using nonpelagic trawl gear and jig gear, and vessels 58 feet or less OAL using longline gear may be used to harvest Pacific cod in this management area and daily harvest limits will not be in effect. Additionally, the area will be designated a non-exclusive registration area for Pacific cod and the 25 percent harvest limit for pot vessels greater than 60 feet OAL has been removed.

Fishermen need to register with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) office in Dutch Harbor prior to participating in the fishery. Vessels transitioning between a federal or parallel Pacific cod fishery and a state-waters Pacific cod fishery must deliver all unprocessed Pacific cod on board prior to participating in or exiting the Aleutian Islands Subdistrict state-waters Pacific cod season.

During the 2026 AIS state-waters Pacific cod season, current Steller sea lion closures will be in effect, including no fishing zones, no transit areas, and the Seguam foraging area except that the Steller sea lion site at Kanaga/Ship Rock is only closed within 3 nautical miles (5 AAC 28.647(g)(1), (2), and (3)). Descriptions of closures in effect during a state-waters season and their coordinates are located in Tables 5 and 12 of 50 CFR part 679 posted on the National Marine Fisheries Service website: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=e928699f8903a416bed34b9bcaae6903&mc=true&node=pt50.13.679&rgn=div5.

For more information, contact ADF&G in Dutch Harbor at (907) 581-1239.

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  aleutians, cod, limit