NMFS closes Central Gulf cod for hook-and-line vessels 50 feet and up

Starting Sept. 1, the largest hook-and-line cod boats, those 50 feet and up, lose their Central Gulf of Alaska cod fishery for the rest of the year, while smaller boats gain new cod access the same day.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is closing the fishery through Dec. 31 to stay within this year's catch limit, which managers set low amid warm water and uncertainty about how many young cod are entering the stock. The boats can still keep small amounts caught incidentally.

The same day, state emergency orders open state-water cod seasons in Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet to longline boats under 50 feet, and the fisheries service reopens Bering Sea cod for catcher vessels under 60 feet.

Federal managers call the Central Gulf boats heavily dependent on cod, with closures cutting landings, crew pay and deliveries to processors in Gulf communities. The council's advisory panel argues that late catch data and abrupt closures destabilize the fleet; the fisheries service and its scientists counter that quick closures are what keep the harvest within the limit.