AlaskaOutdoor.com

FISHERY ANNOUNCEMENT
COOK INLET PARALLEL PACIFIC COD SEASON
CLOSES TO LONGLINE VESSELS LESS THAN 50 FEET IN LENGTH
EO # 2-GF-H-04-12
The parallel Pacific cod season in the Cook Inlet Management Area will close to vessels less
than 50 feet in length using longline gear effective 12:00 noon March 4, 2012. This coincides
with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) closure of the Pacific cod catcher vessel less
than 50 foot hook-and-line gear sector in the federal Central Gulf of Alaska area. The parallel
season will remain open for longline, on vessels greater than or equal to 50 feet, and jig gear
until closed by emergency order.
Fishermen are reminded that there is a 24-hour delivery time requirement following closure of a
groundfish fishery.

CLOSURE ANNOUNCED FOR THE KODIAK AREA
STATE-WATERS PACIFIC COD POT SEASON
EMERGENCY ORDER 4-GF-04-12

The Kodiak Area state-waters Pacific cod season will close for all vessels using pot gear at 6:00
p.m. Thursday, March 1, 2012. This closure is effective for all pot vessels. Inseason catch
estimates indicate the pot gear guideline harvest level (GHL) will be attained at the time of the
closure.

Fishermen are reminded that all pots must be unbaited and doors open at the time of the closure.
Pots may be legally stored in waters deeper than 25 fathoms with doors open and bait and bait
containers removed for seven days following the closure. Operators are required to be at their
unloading destination within 48 hours of the closure.

For more information, contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Kodiak at (907) 486-
1840.

2012 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS DISTRICT
STATE-WATERS PACIFIC COD OPENING ANNOUNCED #4-GF-03-12

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has announced closure of the federal catcher-vessel
trawl sector Pacific cod fishery in the Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands area effective at noon on
(Wednesday) February 29. Therefore, the parallel Pacific cod season will close and the statewaters Pacific cod season will open to commercial fishing at noon on (Monday) March 5 in all
state waters of the Aleutian Islands District west of 170° W long.

The 2012 Aleutian Islands District state-waters Pacific cod season initially opened January 1,
2012 between 175° W long. and 178° W long. to vessels 60 feet overall length (OAL) or less
using pot, jig, and non-pelagic trawl gear and vessels 58 feet OAL or less using longline gear,
and will remain open to those vessel sizes until 11:59 a.m. March 5. Beginning noon March 5,
the state-waters season will expand to include all state waters west of 170° W long. and will
open to vessels 125 feet or less OAL using pot gear, vessels 100 feet OAL or less using nonpelagic trawl gear, and vessels 58 feet or less OAL using longline and jig gear.
Harvest to date in the state-waters Pacific cod fishery is confidential; however, over 12 million
pounds will be available beginning noon March 5.

All fishermen, including tender operators and processors, must register with the Alaska
Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) prior to participating in the state-waters season.
Fishermen previously registered for the parallel groundfish fishery must complete a nonexclusive
registration for the Aleutian Islands District state-waters season.

Each registered fisherman will be required to report harvest information to the department on a
daily basis. Reports for the prior 24 hours (midnight to midnight) of fishing must be received by
ADF&G in Dutch Harbor by 10:00 a.m. daily. Reports will be taken by telephone, fax (see
contact information above), or sent via email to trent.hartill@alaska.gov.
-continued2012

Aleutian Islands District state-waters February 28, 2012
Pacific cod season
The daily harvest limit for each vessel is 150,000 pounds round weight, with a maximum of
150,000 pounds of unprocessed Pacific cod on board a vessel at any time. All Pacific cod taken
must be retained. A fisherman incurring an overage of these limits must immediately report the
overage to ADF&G and forfeit proceeds from the overage to the state. A fisherman may not
have more processed Pacific cod onboard than the round weight equivalent of the fish reported
on ADF&G fish tickets during the Aleutian Islands state-waters Pacific cod season. Bycatch
limits applicable in the parallel Pacific cod season will apply in the state-waters Pacific cod
season. Enforcement action will be pursued against vessel operators who incur overages of the
daily or trip limit.

Steller sea lion closures in place prior to 2011 will be in effect during the state-waters Pacific cod
season. Steller sea lion closures are located in Table 5 to 50 CFR part 679 (69 FR 75865,
December 20, 2004), posted on the NMFS website
(http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/index/frules/frules.asp?Yr=2004) and Table 12 to 50 CFR part 679
(73 FR 76136, December 15, 2008), also posted on the NMFS website at
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/index/frules/frules.asp?Yr=2008. In addition to the Steller sea lion
protection measures referenced above, fishing is prohibited within three nautical miles of Kanaga
Island/Ship Rock (51° 46.70 N, 177° 20.72 W) during the state-waters Pacific cod fishery.
The Aleutian Islands Habitat Conservation Area and coral garden closures, in effect during the
parallel Pacific cod season, will also apply during the state-waters season.
For further information, contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Dutch Harbor at
(907) 581-1239.
-end

SOUTHEAST ALASKA WINTER FOOD AND BAIT HERRING FISHERIES
Sitka. . .

 The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced today the following information
concerning the Southeast Alaska winter food and bait herring fishery:
Section 3-B and District 4 (Craig/Klawock): will close at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, February 28, 2012.
The fishery has been open to the commercial harvest of herring since 12:00 noon, Friday, November 25, 2011. The fishery is ongoing and it is estimated the final harvest will be approximately 400 tons of the 4,108 ton GHL at the time of the closure.

News releases web site: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main.
Office Ketchikan Petersburg Wrangell Sitka Juneau Haines Hoonah Yakutat
ADFG 225-5195 772-3801 874-3822 747-6688 465-4250 766-2830 784-3255
AWT 225-5111 772-3983 874-3215 747-3254 465-4000 766-2533 945-3620 784-3220
Herring Hotline 225-6870 772-3700 747-1009 465-8905

Antlerless Moose Hunts for GMU 14A for Fall 2012 Cancelled

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has cancelled all antlerless moose hunts in GMU 14A for the 2012 moose hunting season due to high numbers of moose deaths caused by deep snow.

“We are seeing an unusually high death rate for moose in the Matsu Valley this winter. There’s been an increase in moose-vehicle collisions because moose are spending more time on roads to avoid the deep snow, and we’re receiving a lot of reports of moose dying from starvation” said Tim Peltier, Acting Area Biologist for Wildlife Conservation in the Palmer office. “We have cancelled the hunts because we don’t know how bad this winter will be for the moose population, and we don’t want to exacerbate the situation.” Peltier said.

The moose population was well above population objectives at the beginning of this winter when permit applications were accepted for the Unit 14A antlerless moose hunts, but the population is now expected to be within or below the objectives by the end of this winter.

The cancellation only applies to the drawing permit hunts for antlerless moose in GMU 14A hunts DM400, DM401, DM402, DM403, DM406, DM407, DM408, DM410, DM412, and DM413.

These hunts were pulled before the drawing was conducted, so applicants were not disadvantaged. Application fees for the cancelled hunts will be refunded by mail. Application fees paid by credit card will be refunded to the card; those made by paid by check will be mailed a refund check. Refunds will not be available from state Fish and Game offices.

The department plans to reassess the moose population in GMU 14A next autumn to determine the impacts of the deep snow and work with the local Fish and Game Advisory Committees to explore options for managing this moose population in the future.

The results of the Draw, Tier I and Tier II application period will be released at 5 pm today and will be available on the ADF&G website. The results can be searched by individual name, hunt number and species.

Note: Tim Peltier is the contact for information regarding the antlerless hunt cancellation only, not the draw results, the draw process or the website.