(Released: March 23, 2020)

CONTACT: Jay Baumer
Area Management Biologist
(907) 267-2265


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.

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