The Prince William Sound (PWS) noncommercial pot shrimp fisheries (sport, personal use, and subsistence) will open Tuesday, April 15, 2014 in all waters of PWS.

All participants are required to have a permit. Permits are available at Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) offices and major license vendors in Anchorage, Seward, Valdez, Whittier and Fairbanks. All permits, whether you fished or not, must be returned to ADF&G by October 15, 2014. Participants may fish up to five pots per person, with a maximum of five pots per vessel. Each pot must meet the mesh size and biodegradable escape mechanism requirements described in regulation and outlined on page 62 of the 2014 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulation Summary. Pots must be marked with a buoy displaying the fisherman’s name and address, and the name or AK registration number of the boat used to fish the pots. There is no bag or possession limit for shrimp.

Shrimp in PWS are managed for a total allowable harvest level. The total allowable harvest level is determined each year using the previous year’s harvest level and results from an annual pot shrimp survey, conducted by the department in October. The PWS noncommercial shrimp fishery management plan divides the total allowable harvest between the commercial fishery (40 percent or 66,600 lbs. in 2014) and the noncommercial fisheries (60 percent or 100,000 lbs. in 2014). Commercial fishery participants are limited to Area 2 (Figure 1) in 2014.

Please contact Mike Thalhauser in Anchorage at 267-2186 or Maria Wessel in Cordova at 424-3212 with any questions regarding the PWS shrimp fisheries or permitting requirements.
 

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