Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Pacific Ocean Perch in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska

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This regulatory action is a targeted fishery closure issued by NMFS under the Commerce Department. It prohibits retention of Pacific Ocean perch caught as incidental bycatch in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska, which is a federally managed fishing zone extending from 3 to 200 nautical miles offshore. The closure is triggered by the near-exhaustion of the 2026 total allowable catch (TAC) allocated as the incidental catch allowance for this species in the area. The legal basis for this action stems from the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which authorizes NMFS to manage fisheries within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and to implement in-season adjustments to prevent overfishing when catch limits are approached. The annual TAC is set through a process involving the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and is designed to maintain sustainable fish populations. The primary parties affected are commercial fishing vessel operators working in the Central Gulf of Alaska who catch Pacific Ocean perch as bycatch. Most of these vessels will be required to discard any Pacific Ocean perch rather than retain them for sale. However, vessels that have checked in to the Central GOA Rockfish Program and are fishing under a valid rockfish cooperative quota permit are exempted and may continue to retain this species. This type of in-season closure is a routine fisheries management tool used when a species approaches its annual harvest limit. It is intended to protect fish stocks and ensure long-term sustainability of the fishery. The closure remains in effect for the remainder of the 2026 fishing year or until NMFS determines that additional retention is permissible. While the direct economic impact is limited to a relatively small segment of the commercial fishing industry in Alaska, such closures reflect ongoing challenges in balancing fishing industry interests with conservation mandates. The Rockfish Program exemption reflects a policy choice to allow more closely monitored cooperative fishing operations to continue operating under stricter quota accountability.

AS PUBLISHED

NMFS is prohibiting retention of the incidental catch allowance for Pacific Ocean perch in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) except by vessels checked-in to the Central GOA Rockfish Program who are fishing with a rockfish cooperative quota permit. This action is necessary because the 2026 total allowable catch (TAC) apportioned as the incidental catch allowance for Pacific Ocean perch in the Central GOA will soon be or has been reached.

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