ADFG Announces New Fishing Regs

The following press releases are courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

New Regulations for North Gulf Coast Area Sport Fisheries in 2020

(Anchorage) – The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) adopted several proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for the North Gulf Coast Management Area at the December 2019 Lower Cook Inlet meeting in Seward and the February 2020 Upper Cook Inlet meeting in Anchorage. Regulatory changes are summarized below as a service to anglers, and not as a complete digest of all sport fishing regulations. The new regulations will take effect with the release of the 2020 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet when it is issued the first week of April 2020. Please see the 2020 booklet for a complete summary of the North Gulf Coast sport fisheries regulations.

All Seward Area Freshwaters

• All northern pike caught in North Gulf Coast, Anchorage, and Kenai Peninsula area freshwaters must be killed and cannot be released back into the water alive. Northern pike are an invasive species in Southcentral Alaska and significantly impact native fish species. Anglers who catch a northern pike are encouraged to report and, if possible, deliver the dispatched fish to the nearest ADF&G office.

North Gulf Coast Saltwaters

• A new personal use fishery was established for aquatic plants in the Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Kenai nonsubsistence areas (including the Seward area). 
  • The aquatic plant personal use fishery season will be January 1 through April 30 and September 1 through December 31.
  • The harvest will be limited to an individual-based bag and possession limit of 10 gallons of aquatic plants that have been naturally dislodged from the substrate and located at or above the daily high tide line.
  • No permit is required.
• Outside the nonsubsistence area, the bag and possession limit was changed to 10 gallons of aquatic plants.

Seward Lagoon and Outfall Stream Youth-Only Fishery

• The season dates for the Seward Youth-Only Fishery in the Seward Lagoon and Outfall Creek were expanded to June 17 through June 30 for king salmon and August 25 through September 7 for coho salmon. Additionally, after taking a bag limit, a person may not sport fish for any species that same day within the Youth-Only Fishery area. This Youth-Only Fishery is only open to anglers who are 15 years of age or younger.

For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologist Jay Baumer or Assistant Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth at (907) 267-2265.

New Regulations for Kodiak Island, Alaska Peninsula, and Aleutian Islands Sport Fisheries in 2020

(Kodiak) – The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) adopted several proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for the Kodiak Area at the January 2020 Kodiak meeting in Kodiak and for Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands Area at the March 2020 Statewide King and Tanner meeting in Anchorage. Regulatory changes are summarized below as a service to anglers, and not as a complete digest of all sport fishing regulations. The new regulations took effect with the release of the 2020 Southwest Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet in February 2020. Please see the 2020 booklet for a complete summary of the Kodiak and Aleutian Islands sport fisheries regulations.

Saltwater Boundary for the Kodiak Road Zone

• A new boundary for the Kodiak Road Zone (KRZ) was adopted and extends from ‘point to point’ around the KRZ area. The new regulations are intended to make it easier for anglers to determine which zone (Road vs. Remote) they are in and consequently, which bag limits apply to the area they are fishing. See the map below for the new KRZ boundary area. 
  • Description of new Kodiak Road Zone Boundary: Anton Larsen Bay south and east of a line from Crag Point to Kizhuyak Point; Inside the outermost points of Shakmanof Cove; From the easternmost point of Shakmanof Cove to Otmeloi Point; From Course Point near Split Rock to Termination Point; From Termination Point to Miller Point; From Miller Point to Spruce Cape; From Spruce Cape to the northern tip of Woody Island; From the southern tip of Woody Island to Cliff Point; From Cliff Point to Broad Point; From Broad Point to the western tip of Cape Chiniak; From Cape Greville to the eastern tip of Narrow Cape; From the southernmost part of Narrow Cape to Pasagshak Point; North and east of a line from the outermost points of Pasagshak Bay; From the westernmost point of Pasagshak Bay to Shark Point; From Shark Point to the westernmost point of Portage Bay; From the westernmost point of Portage Bay to the westernmost point of Saltery Cove.

Black Rockfish Management Plan

• A management plan was adopted for the sport fishery for black rockfish in recognition of increasing harvest levels and the need for management of a single black rockfish population targeted by both sport and commercial fisheries. The management plan states:

1. Black rockfish harvests will be managed within a guideline harvest range of 0-26,000 black rockfish.
2. Current Chiniak and Marmot bays rockfish bag limits remain in place of 3 per day, 6 in possession. Nonpelagic limits remain the same island wide of 2 per day, 4 in possession and only 1 per day, 2 in possession of nonpelagic limits may be yelloweye. Captain and crew of charter boats may not retain rockfish while clients are on board.
3. If management actions are needed to control harvests, the BOF prioritized the following options to be used by ADF&G via emergency order: 
   1. implement an annual limit for nonresidents for rockfish;
   2. reduce nonresident bag and possession limit for rockfish;
   3. reduce the rockfish bag limit by area as specified by ADF&G;
   4. implement a rockfish season;
   5. reduce the resident bag and possession limit for rockfish.

Dog Salmon River King Salmon Sport Fishery

• New in 2020, anglers can now target king salmon in the Dog Salmon River (Frazer Lake Drainage); however, anglers may only target king salmon for catch-and-release. King salmon cannot be retained or possessed. A king salmon season of January 1 through July 25 was adopted and during this season, the use of bait is prohibited. Anglers cannot target king salmon from July 26 through December 31.

Monashka Creek Coho Salmon Sport Fishery

• The closed waters of Monashka Creek have been reduced slightly to allow anglers to have increased access to returns of hatchery coho salmon. Waters open to sport fishing now extend approximately 50 yards upstream of the Monashka Highway Bridge near the treeline.

Aleutian Islands Golden King Crab Sport Fishery

• Golden king crab can now be harvested under sport fishing regulations in the Aleutian Islands. Only male crab may be retained with a minimum size of 6 ½ inches across the carapace (shell). A bag and possession limit of 6 crab per day was adopted and all crab pots left unattended for longer than two weeks must have bait and bait containers removed and the doors secured open. All statewide shellfish regulations also apply to this fishery as outlined on page 30 in the 2020 Southwest Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet.

Anglers are also reminded that as of January 1, 2020, all vessels sport fishing in the saltwaters of Alaska must have a functioning deepwater release mechanism on board, and all rockfish not harvested must be released at depth of capture, or at a depth of 100 feet.

For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum at (907) 486-1880.

New Regulations for Anchorage Area Sport Fisheries in 2020

(Anchorage) – The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) adopted two proposals establishing new sport fish regulations for the Anchorage Management Area at the February 2020 Upper Cook Inlet meeting in Anchorage. Regulatory changes are summarized below as a service to anglers, and not as a complete digest of all sport fishing regulations. The new regulations will take effect with the release of the 2020 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet when it is issued the first week of April 2020. Please see the 2020 booklet for a complete summary of the Anchorage sport fisheries regulations.

Anchorage Freshwaters

• All northern pike caught in Anchorage freshwaters cannot be released back into the water alive and must be killed. Northern pike are an invasive species in Southcentral Alaska and significantly impact native fish species. Anglers who catch a northern pike from Anchorage freshwaters are encouraged to report and, if possible, deliver the dispatched northern pike to the nearest ADF&G office.

Ship Creek Youth-Only Fishery

• The closing time for the king salmon Youth-Only Fishery on Ship Creek has been extended from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. This Youth-Only Fishery occurs annually on the third Saturday in June. In 2020, the Ship Creek Youth-Only Fishery will occur on June 20 from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. This fishery occurs from the C Street Bridge upstream to the Bridge Restaurant and is only open to anglers who are 15 years of age or younger. This section of Ship Creek is closed to all other anglers during the Youth-Only Fishery.

For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologist Jay Baumer or Assistant Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth at (907) 267-2265.