ADF&G to open fall commercial rockfish fishery in Southeast inside waters Dec. 8

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game posted a notice Thursday opening a fall commercial fishery for demersal shelf rockfish, bottom-dwelling species that include yelloweye, quillback, canary, copper, China, tiger and rosethorn rockfish. The fishery opens at 9 am Dec. 8 in portions of the Northern and Southern Southeast Inside subdistricts and closes when quotas are taken or at 4 pm Dec. 31, whichever comes first.

Those inside waters were also open in portions during the winter fishery, and winter harvest counts against each area's 55,000-pound annual limit. The department says it cannot release the remaining amounts because fewer than three permits fished those areas, but harvest in each remains below the limit.

Fishers need a CFEC Y interim-use permit and vessel registration. The trip limit is 6,000 pounds per vessel or permit holder in any five-day period east of 137 degrees W. Lingcod bycatch is closed in Northern Southeast Inside and Southern Southeast Internal Waters, and allowed only with longline gear in part of Southern Southeast Inside.

On the outer coast, the winter fishery opened Feb. 5 in East Yakutat and Southern Southeast Outside, and both closed March 1. The Northern and Central Southeast Outside sections stayed closed, and all four outer coast sections remain closed for the rest of 2026.

The department says closures may come on short notice. They are announced by advisory, Coast Guard and National Weather Service broadcasts and the groundfish hotline, 907-747-4882.