Boats of any size can fish Chignik's last 229,000 pounds of state-waters cod from Oct. 31

Boats of any size can fish the last of the Pacific cod in the Chignik Area's state waters, about 229,000 pounds, starting Saturday, Oct. 31, under an emergency order the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued Tuesday.

The state-waters fishery, within 3 nautical miles of shore, has been limited to boats 58 feet or shorter. As has been the case since August, the remaining fish can be caught with pots or jigs, with no gear limits, until they're gone or the season closes Dec. 31.

The fish are the last of a catch limit the department raised 49% in February, to about 5.54 million pounds, after the North Pacific Fishery Management Council reviewed an updated Gulf of Alaska cod stock assessment that had been delayed by last fall's federal government shutdown. The pot season, with a 60-pot limit per boat, opened March 1 and closed April 22, when catch reports showed the pot share would be taken. Through Oct. 26, pot boats had caught about 5.31 million pounds.

Jig boats, whose share was about 554,000 pounds, reported no Chignik state-waters cod this year or last. At the Board of Fisheries' statewide meeting in March, a speaker said there hadn't been a Chignik jig landing in maybe 15 years. In August, the department opened the remaining fish, then about 490,000 pounds, to either gear.

Last year, the department lifted the size limit on Oct. 28, with about 1.8 million pounds still uncaught.