Feds close Central Gulf Pacific cod to most trawl catcher vessels for rest of 2026

Federal fishery managers closed Pacific cod fishing to most trawl catcher vessels in the Central Gulf of Alaska at noon Wednesday, the third Central Gulf cod fleet shut down since September.

The closure runs through Dec. 31 and is meant to keep the fleet from going over its share of this year's cod, the National Marine Fisheries Service said in its closure bulletin. Boats fishing in the Rockfish Program's cooperatives are exempt.

The fleet's share for 2026 is 7,782 metric tons, about 17 million pounds. The agency set aside 2,000 metric tons of that as incidental catch, for cod caught while boats target other groundfish. So trawlers can keep fishing for other species, but they can no longer go after cod, and they must stay under federal limits on how much cod they keep.

Across all fleets, 93% of the Central Gulf's cod quota had been caught through Oct. 17, according to the agency's catch report, 20,135 metric tons out of 21,549.

Hook-and-line boats 50 feet and longer were the first to close, on Sept. 1, as Alaska News reported in August. Pot boats followed Oct. 7.