Division of Sport Fish
Dave Rutz, Director

Anchorage Headquarters Office
333 Raspberry Road
Anchorage, AK 99518


Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Doug Vincent-Lang, Commissioner

P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
www.adfg.alaska.gov


Advisory Announcement
(Released: February 14, 2022 - Expired: December 31, 2022)

CONTACT: Tyler Polum
Area Management Biologist
(907) 486-1880

Eastern Afognak and Kodiak Islands Rockfish Limits Reduced for Nonresidents

(Kodiak) - To ensure sustainable harvests of rockfish and implement provisions of the Kodiak Area Rockfish Management Plan adopted by the Board of Fisheries in January 2020, nonresident bag and possession limits for rockfish are being reduced for much of eastern Afognak and Kodiak islands due to increasing participation in the fishery and concerns over sustainability of these populations during the 2022 season. This regulation restriction is effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, April 1 through 11:59 p.m. Saturday, December 31, 2022. The nonresident angler bag and possession limit for rockfish is reduced to three per day, six in possession, of which two per day, four in possession may be nonpelagic and only one per day, two in possession of the nonpelagic limit may be yelloweye. In addition, captain and crew of charter vessels may not retain rockfish in this area while clients are on board.

The reduced nonresident bag and possession limit for rockfish include the waters of eastern Afognak and Kodiak islands south of a line extending east from Big Fort Island near Shuyak Island (eastward from 58° 30.026'N. lat., 152° 24.292'W. long.), north of a line extending eastward from Dangerous Cape (eastward from 57° 16.596'N. lat., 152° 42.388'W. long.) and east of a line at 153° W. lat. in Kupreanof Straight, equivalent to groundfish statistical areas 525803, 525804, 515801, 515802, 525805, 525806, 525807, 525731, 525732, 525733, and 525701. Please refer to the map below for the waters where rockfish limits have been reduced for nonresidents.

Eastern Afognak and Kodiak Islands Rockfish Limits Reduced for Nonresidents

Resident bag limits are not changing at this time and will remain as published in the 2022 Southwest Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet (available mid-February).

“Harvests of rockfish, and particularly black rockfish, in the Kodiak Area have been increasing since 2005, with peak harvests in 2019. Preliminary harvest estimates indicate that the 2021 harvest of rockfish and particularly black rockfish was reduced by about 1/3 due to the emergency order issued last season and was very near 2020 harvest levels, which were reduced due to COVID related travel restrictions to the Island,” stated Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum. “As nonresident participation and interest in sport fishing for rockfish is expected to remain high for 2022 and possibly increase, it is warranted to implement similar restrictions in this area to ensure sustainable harvests of rockfish, given that they are long-lived, slow-growing, and vulnerable to overfishing, particularly in localized areas.”

If harvest continues to increase, further restrictions could be implemented according to the management plan criteria in this priority 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

ADF&G will continue to monitor harvests and biological information using saltwater guide logbooks, dockside sampling data, and the Statewide Harvest Survey. An ongoing hydroacoustic abundance survey for black rockfish will also be conducted to compare harvest rates in all fisheries with the latest abundance estimates.

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

#22-3292