US: Alaska moves to open up Prince William Sound for octopus fishery

Published Dec 18, 2024

Tridge summary

The Alaska Board of Fisheries has approved a proposal to establish a directed fishery for octopus in Prince William Sound, allowing commercial fishermen to intentionally harvest the species. This decision comes despite the low historical catch levels in the sound, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game setting an annual guideline harvest limit of 35,000 pounds that has rarely been reached. The move follows a submission from Cordova District Fishermen United, which argued that a directed fishery would be of interest to area fishers. The new fishery will permit the use of lair pots, which are expected to be less disruptive to the octopus habitat. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has expressed no conservation concerns about the new fishery.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Commercial fishermen in Prince William Sound, Alaska, could soon be able to harvest octopus after the Alaska Board of Fisheries voted to allow a directed fishery at its recent December meeting.Commercial fishermen are already allowed to catch octopus as bycatch in both Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet, but catch levels have remained consistently low in Prince William Sound.The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has typically set an annual guideline harvest level of 35,000 pounds of octopus for Prince William Sound; however, octopus bycatch has never approached that limit. According to ADF&G data, just 1,091 pounds of octopus were harvested in Prince William Sound in 2024. Cook Inlet fishers have typically harvested far more octopus as bycatch, with state data showing 19,591 pounds of octopus was harvested from the management area in 2024 – less than the 26,867 pounds harvested in 2023. Commercial Operator’s Annual Reports show that Alaska fishers were paid a total of ...

Source: Seafoodsource