ADF&G extends yelloweye rockfish closure in Resurrection Bay through June

For the second consecutive year, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed yelloweye rockfish retention in Resurrection Bay and the broader North Gulf Coast through June 30. ADF&G issued an effectively identical order in 2025, citing the same stock conservation concerns. The current restriction runs through Sept. 15 unless replaced by a subsequent order.

Through mid-September, anglers are also limited to three rockfish per day and six in possession across the area, with sub-limits on pelagic and nonpelagic species under the same emergency order.

The species-specific protection reflects what yelloweye are. They can live more than a century — some individuals over 150 years — and don't reach spawning maturity until around their teens. Once a population is depleted, recovery can take decades. The fish are also unusually vulnerable to barotrauma: pulled up from the deep water they prefer, their gas-filled swim bladders expand catastrophically, and many don't survive release without a descending device that returns them to depth.

Anglers have reported fair catch rates of mixed rockfish near the entrance of Resurrection Bay and along the Gulf Coast, according to ADF&G's latest fishing report.