Southeast outer coast lingcod fishery closes after hitting quota

Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed the Southern Southeast Outer Coast directed commercial lingcod fishery at 11:59 p.m. Saturday after the sector hit its 50,100-pound harvest allocation.

The closure, issued under Emergency Order 1G1026, affects commercial groundfish vessels targeting lingcod along the entire Southern Southeast Outer Coast sector from shore to 3 nautical miles out. It doesn't apply to sport fishing or incidental retention in other commercial fisheries, which operate under separate regulations.

The Icy Bay Subdistrict remains open to directed lingcod fishing.

ADF&G announces lingcod closures through advisory announcements, Coast Guard broadcasts, and the National Weather Service. The department maintains a groundfish hotline at 907-747-4882 for fishery updates.

ADF&G's Southeast Alaska groundfish framework anticipates short-notice area closures based on reported landings and fleet communication to prevent localized depletion and overharvest of spawning aggregations. The 2026 directed lingcod season opened May 16 and runs through November 30 or until area allocations are met, whichever comes first.