Alaska Rockfish Get Thrown Back: Quota Hit in Gulf Areas
Published Date: 12/5/2025
Rule
Summary
Starting December 4, 2025, fishermen in parts of the Gulf of Alaska must stop keeping demersal shelf rockfish because the yearly catch limit has been hit. This temporary rule helps protect fish populations and lasts until the end of the year. It mainly affects commercial fishers using certain gear types, ensuring sustainable fishing and avoiding fines or lost income.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Retention Ban for Rockfish in GOA
Starting 1200 hours Alaska local time on December 4, 2025 through 2400 hours A.l.t. on December 31, 2025, you may not retain demersal shelf rockfish in the Western, Central, and West Yakutat Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska because the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of 271 metric tons has been or will be reached. During this period demersal shelf rockfish in those areas must be treated as a prohibited species under Sec. 679.21(a)(2).
Gear and Monitoring Retention Exceptions
The retention prohibition does not apply to demersal shelf rockfish caught by catcher vessels using hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear as described in Sec. 679.20(j), or by catcher vessels using trawl gear that participate in the electronic monitoring program described in Sec. 679.21(a)(2). Those vessels may retain demersal shelf rockfish in the Western, Central, and West Yakutat Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska during the December 4–31, 2025 period.
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