ADF&G opens commercial harvest of beach kelp in Cook Inlet, capped at 86,000 pounds

Kelp that washes up on Cook Inlet beaches can now be harvested and sold commercially, up to 86,000 pounds. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game established the season in an advisory announcement issued Monday afternoon from its Homer Area Office.

The department will manage the harvest for a guideline harvest level of 86,000 pounds. That is the target ceiling managers plan around, not a hard-coded regulation.

The season covers detached kelp only, meaning blades that have already come loose and washed ashore rather than plants cut from living beds. Anyone harvesting must have a commissioner's permit in hand at the time of collection. The permit spells out which dates and areas are authorized and requires harvesters to keep accurate records and report their harvest on time. Applications for a Lower Cook Inlet permit go through the ADF&G office in Homer, at 3298 Douglas Place. Area Management Biologist Glenn Hollowell is the listed contact, at (907) 235-8191.

The advisory does not name any applicants, and it contains no comment from harvesters, subsistence users, or other Cook Inlet fishermen. It reflects the department's management action alone.

The department's Southcentral guidance limits personal use in Cook Inlet and the North Gulf Coast to detached plants at or above the daily high tide line, taken by hand, with a daily bag and possession limit of 10 gallons per person, restrictions the department says are meant to protect live kelp and nearshore habitat. That fishery reopens Sept. 1 after a summer closure.