South Alaska Peninsula state-waters cod reopens to pot boats; vessel and pot limits drop Oct. 31

Pot boats get another shot at South Alaska Peninsula Pacific cod this fall. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Kodiak office issued two announcements on Oct. 22: one rolling the jig fleet's unused share of the state-waters cod guideline harvest level over to all legal gear, and a second rescinding the area's exclusivity, vessel-size and gear limits.

In state waters, out to 3 nautical miles, the area's cod is normally split 85% to pot gear and 15% to jig gear. According to reporting on the orders, pot boats had landed about 6.83 million pounds through Oct. 21, slightly over their share, while jig boats had taken about 728,000 of their roughly 1.19 million pounds. That leaves about 387,000 pounds, which the management plan allows to be reopened to pot and jig gear once the federal Western Gulf pot season has closed. That federal pot fishery shut at noon Oct. 23, the same time the state reopening began.

The second step comes at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 31, when the state drops exclusive registration along with the 58-foot vessel limit and the 60-pot limit, so boats registered in other areas can join. Managers can do that if they find the catch limit would not otherwise be reached by Dec. 31. The fishery runs until the remaining fish are taken or Dec. 31, whichever comes first. Boats still need a CFEC permit card and an ADF&G state-waters registration, and pot boats must call the Kodiak office for daily catch reporting before fishing.

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

Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game — Commercial Fishery Announcements: "South Alaska Peninsula Area State-Waters Pacific Cod Season Guideline Harvest Level Allocation Rollover" and "... Exclusivity Requirements, Vessel Size Restrictions, and Gear Limits Rescinded" (Oct. 22, 2026). Also: Alaska News — State opens leftover South Alaska Peninsula cod to pot boats as jig catch falls short (Oct. 23, 2026).