Due to poor price, lousy weather, and lack of fish more than a few pot cod fishermen have hung up their hats for the pacific cod state season. Since its opening date on February 17th Just over a million pounds has been taken out of the nearly seven million pound TAC. Fish and game has said that only about half of the 30 boat pot fleet has been on the water, compared to the 47 last year. Also, in the Gulf . . . Pollock trawlers will be back out on the water march 10th.
Moving on down the Chain . . .
Chignik Area state water P cod for fixed gear opens March 7th with an 8 ½ million pound harvest , and on March 15th jiggers will be able to go after the nearly one million pound catch.
Heading out into the Bering Sea . . .
The Bering seas snow crab season is going a lot smoother this year. With 64% of the nearly 60 million pound quota caught, there is less than 38 ½ million pounds to go. That is triple the amount from around the same time last year when fishermen had only caught around 30% of their snow crab quotas. Pollock is on going in the Bering Sea along with cod and other various flat fish.
Around the panhandle . . .
Many winter dive fisheries have wrapped up, along with pot shrimp and a short Tanner crab season.
Looking a head . . .
The Sitka Sac RoeHerring fishery will be opening later this month. Followed by the March 23rd halibut season. And in salmon news the forecast is out . . . Fish Managers are projecting a stronger pink run this summer, that could boost the total Alaska salmon catch to nearly 179 million fish. making it 30 % greater than last year.
Last but not least . . .
Starting today the State Board of Fish is meeting in anchorage. They are considering 48 proposals for Alaska Peninsula/ Aleutian island fisheries. All meetings are streamed live on the web.
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Fish Radio is also brought to you by Ocean Beauty Seafoods. Ocean Beauty has contributed over 10 million meals to the U.S. Food Bank network, and is committed to ending hunger in America. www.oceanbeauty.com In Kodiak I’m Stephanie Mangini.
