Nonresident rockfish retention stays closed in Ketchikan waters

Nonresident anglers out of Ketchikan cannot keep a yelloweye, quillback, canary, China, copper, tiger or rosethorn rockfish for the rest of the year. Those seven are the demersal shelf rockfish, and the Sept. 16 Ketchikan report from Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Kelly Reppert confirms retention closed Aug. 25 and remains closed.

Alaska residents keep one a day, including yelloweye, two in possession, no annual limit, though beyond three miles everyone follows the nonresident rules. Before the closure, nonresidents could keep one per day, one in possession, one per year.

Advisory 1-RF-R-04-26, issued Jan. 26, reduced the nonresident season from year-round to July 1 through Aug. 25, to protect yelloweye during their reproductive cycle and stay within the sport allocation. It expires Dec. 31, leaving the 2027 season unset.

The Board of Fisheries reopened limited harvest in January 2025. "A conservative management approach continues to be necessary to protect the sustainability of these species," the department said.

Every sportfishing vessel must still carry a deepwater release device, which returns a released fish to at least 100 feet.