(Anchorage) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is reducing the number of allowable pots per vessel in the 2018 Prince William Sound (PWS) sport and subsistence (noncommercial) shrimp pot fishery from five pots to four pots. The season remains the same and will be open April 15 through September 15, 2018, with no bag limit. Starting the last week of March, PWS sport and subsistence shrimp permits will be available online. All participants are required to have a permit on their person while shrimping.

During the 2017 season, the sport and subsistence shrimp fishery had a 100,000 pound guideline harvest level (GHL). For the duration of the 2017 sport and subsistence shrimp fishery season, an estimated 91,827 pounds of shrimp were harvested with a four pot limit. A total of 3,441 permits were issued and 2,149 reported harvesting shrimp. In an effort to not exceed the 2018 sport and subsistence shrimp GHL of 100,800 pounds, a four pot limit is warranted. Therefore, in order to reduce harvest and not exceed the GHL, ADF&G is reducing pot limits from five pots per vessel to four pots per vessel for the 2018 season.

The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) will be meeting March 6–9, 2018, to discuss proposals submitted regarding the sport, subsistence, and commercial shrimp fisheries in PWS. For additional information on these topics, please visit the BOF website. For additional information about the PWS shrimp pot fishery, please contact Sport Fish Area Management Biologist, Jay Baumer in Anchorage at (907) 267-2265 or Commercial Fisheries Shellfish Area Management Biologist, Jan Rumble in Homer at (907) 235-8191.

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