Gulf of Alaska pollock in Area 620 and Central Gulf trawl cod close at noon Oct. 21

NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Region announced two Gulf of Alaska groundfish closures on Oct. 20. Both take effect at 12 noon Alaska local time on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The first ends directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 620, between 154 and 159 degrees west longitude, so the fleet does not go over the area's 2026 total allowable catch. The second ends directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area, also to stay under that sector's 2026 cod allocation. The cod closure does not apply to vessels fishing in the cooperative fishery of the Central Gulf Rockfish Program.

In both cases, the maximum retainable amounts for incidental catch still apply at any point during a trip. The agency's information bulletins are notices only. For compliance, it points fishermen to the official text of each action in the Federal Register.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NOAA Fisheries — IB 26-47: NMFS Prohibits Directed Fishing for Pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska and IB 26-48: Pacific cod by trawl catcher vessels, Central Regulatory Area (both Oct. 20, 2026).