NOAA May Shuffle Alaska Fishing Seasons to Waste Less Fish
Published Date: 10/21/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
This rule change affects fishermen in Alaska’s Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. It lets NOAA adjust the start and end times for fishing seasons to better match other fishery schedules and reduce wasted fish. These tweaks help fishermen catch more fish legally and avoid confusion, with comments open until November 20, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Stops Sablefish Waste During Halibut Periods
If you fish sablefish with fixed gear under the IFQ or CDQ programs in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) or Gulf of Alaska (GOA), NMFS could set sablefish opening and closing times to match the halibut season. That change would mean you would not be required to discard sablefish caught during the first 6 hours or the last 12 hours of the halibut IFQ/CDQ season.
Flexible Groundfish Closure Times to Use TAC
If you fish groundfish in the BSAI or GOA, NMFS could set closure times other than the current fixed 1200 hours Alaska local time during inseason actions under Sec. 679.20(d). For example, the rule notes a scenario where a fleet catches 500 metric tons per 24 hours with 750 mt remaining; closing at 1200 hours would leave a 250 mt underage, but closing at 2400 hours could allow more of that remaining TAC to be harvested.
Rule Expected Not To Harm Small Vessels
NMFS certified that the proposed rule would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and expects benefits to be modest. The preamble identifies, using 2024 data, up to 93 potentially affected small vessels in the BSAI (92 catcher vessels and 1 catcher/processor) and about 602 such entities in the GOA (602 catcher vessels and catcher/processors), and notes a revenue threshold of $11 million to define small entities.
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Key Dates
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