Central Aleutian perch fishery closes early for a second straight year

Trawl vessels in the Central Aleutian district lose their shot at Pacific ocean perch at noon Thursday, four months before the year is out, after the sector hit its catch limit for the year. The National Marine Fisheries Service is closing directed fishing for the species by boats in one Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands trawl sector through the end of the year.

This is the second year running the fishery has closed early for the sector, and it ran out faster this time. This year's allowance was 480 metric tons; last year's was 490, and directed fishing didn't close until Oct. 31. Ten tons less this year ran out more than two months sooner.

The closure stops boats from targeting perch, not from landing it. Vessels working other groundfish fisheries can still keep perch that comes up incidentally, within limits.

Two other Alaska groundfish fisheries shut the same way in July — West Yakutat Pacific ocean perch and Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Pacific cod for one trawl sector — both reaching their limits well ahead of schedule.