Fish and Game opens Cat and Dog Islands, Foggy Bay to geoduck divers Wednesday

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will open Cat and Dog Islands and Foggy Bay near Ketchikan to commercial geoduck diving for live sale from 8 am to 4 pm Wednesday, Oct. 28, and Thursday, Oct. 29, the department announced Monday.

Cat and Dog Islands has 17,000 pounds left to harvest. Foggy Bay opens for its full guideline harvest level of 24,200 pounds. A guideline harvest level is the department's harvest target for an area. Under the department's policy, any harvest over or under that target is carried into the area's next rotation.

Cat and Dog Islands last opened Oct. 21 and 22, with a guideline harvest level of 47,300 pounds. Southeast's overall guideline harvest level for the season is 264,000 pounds, down from 443,600 pounds a year earlier, as Alaska News reported Sept. 8.

Divers must label each geoduck with the harvest date, the harvester's name and the location. Companies buying geoduck must file harvest reports with the department's Ketchikan office by noon Friday, Oct. 30.

Under the department's 2026-27 season announcement, harvesters need a Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission permit and a 2026-27 department registration. They must contact the department at least 48 hours before fishing in a new management area. The Wednesday-Thursday schedule in the Ketchikan area follows a recommendation from the Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association.

Two areas stay closed: Saint Nicholas Channel/North Lulu Island and Biorka Channel/Legma Island. Their estimated geoduck biomass fell below 30% of the original estimate, and they will remain closed until it recovers above that level. The department said it has documented sea otter predation as a factor in the decline.

The fishery closes for Thanksgiving from Nov. 20 through Dec. 1, and for the Christmas and New Year's holidays from Dec. 18 through Jan. 12.