Contact:
Charlie Swanton
Southeast Regional Management Coordinator
Phone: 907-465-4297

Juneau – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today that the sport fishing bag and possession limits, mandatory retention and a nonresident annual limit are being established for non-pelagic rockfish (demersal shelf rockfish) for the 2006 season. The regulations become effective 12:01 A.M. May 16, 2006. The regulations are:

Ø      The resident bag limit is three non-pelagic rockfish and all demersal shelf rockfish caught must be retained until the bag limit is reached.

Ø      The nonresident bag limit is three non-pelagic rockfish only one of which can be a yelloweye; all non-pelagic rockfish caught must be retained until the bag limit is reached; with an annual limit of three yelloweye rockfish.

Ø      Charter operators and crewmembers may not retain non-pelagic rockfish while clients are on board the vessel.

These regulations apply in all marine waters of Southeast Alaska as a means to keep regulations consistent, avoid angler confusion, and make enforcement easier.

The Board of Fisheries during the February 2006 meeting cited biological concerns over recent sport fishery harvests of non-pelagic rockfish (demersal shelf rockfish) and adopted provisions for the sport fishery to curtail harvest. The Board allocated 16% of the total allowable biological catch to the sport fishery which equates to 66 metric tons for the 2006 season. The provisions being instituted for the 2006 season are anticipated to reduce the non-pelagic rockfish harvest by 30-35% from 2004-2005 levels.

For more information about the sport fisheries in Southeast Alaska, contact the nearest ADF&G office or visit: http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/EONR/index.cfm