Two Southeast geoduck beds stay closed all season after biomass falls below 30%

Two Southeast geoduck beds will stay closed for the entire 2026-27 season after surveys found biomass below 30% of original estimates, cutting ground for Ketchikan-area divers before the fishery opens by regulation Oct. 1. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game surveyed Saint Nicholas Channel and North Lulu Island (Subdistrict 103-70-007) and Biorka Channel and Legma Island (Subdistrict 113-31-003) in 2026. Under 5 AAC 38.142(h), both remain closed until biomass rises above that threshold. The department also documented evidence of sea otter predation on geoducks in both areas.

What remains is a Southeast Alaska guideline harvest level of 264,000 pounds across six open areas, down from 443,600 pounds last season, with the first opening planned Oct. 7 depending on paralytic shellfish poison test results. GHLs are set at 2% of surveyed biomass. All open areas passed inorganic arsenic testing, allowing sales to mainland China. The fishery also closes Nov. 20 through Dec. 1 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 12 for holidays.

ADF&G has used the same trigger before: in August 2025 it closed Lower Cordova Bay and East San Fernando after 2021 and 2022 surveys showed biomass below 30%, again citing otter predation. A 1988 ADF&G interim report found geoduck shells in sea otter middens in southeastern Alaska, a 2011 report to the Alaska Board of Fisheries described otters reducing standing stock biomass, and a 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report put impacted geoduck management areas at 68%.

The Southeast Alaska Regional Dive Fisheries Association says otter predation has closed or degraded most geoduck grounds, calling it a threat to divers' livelihoods. Researchers studying sea otter recovery describe the animals as a keystone predator whose foraging stabilizes kelp and eelgrass and boosts nearshore fish, and the Fish and Wildlife Service frames re-expansion within broader conservation goals while acknowledging dive fisheries have been greatly affected. At a June 3 hearing of the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, Rep. Nick Begich said, "Dungeness crab, sea cucumbers, geoducks, clams and urchins are the backbone of our dive fisheries and our emerging mariculture industry."

Harvest periods in the Ketchikan management area generally run 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Harvesters must contact ADF&G at least 48 hours before fishing a new management area.