Southeast Alaska commercial shrimp pot fishery announcement

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) announced the following information concerning the 2019/2020 Southeast Alaska commercial pot shrimp summer fishery.

The following areas will reopen by emergency order at 8:00 a.m., Friday, May 15, 2020:

District 4: will be open. The total Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) is 20,000 pounds, current harvest information is confidential.

District 5: will be open. The total GHL is 12,000 pounds, current harvest information is confidential.

District 15: (Remainder): will be open in Chilkat Inlet, and in waters south of the latitude of Seduction Point at 59°04.93′ N lat, and north of the latitude of Little Island Light at 58°32.41′ N lat. The total GHL is 7,500 pounds, current harvest information is confidential.

These areas will close at 4:00 p.m., Friday, July 31, 2020, unless closed earlier by emergency order [5 AAC 31.145]. Areas will close when GHLs have been reached or are expected to be reached by the time of the closure.

Fishermen should refer to the “Southeast Alaska Commercial Pot Shrimp Fishery Announcement” from August 16, 2019, for details on reporting, fish ticket, and logbook requirements as well as other information concerning the 2019/2020 pot shrimp season. The weekly reporting requirement for all catcher–processors and catcher–sellers will begin Monday, May 18, 2020.

Fishermen planning to participate in the summer season beginning May 15, 2020, will need to reregister for the fishery since the 2019/2020 registration year for shrimp ended April 14, 2020. Registration is available at any of the Southeast area offices.

The Emergency Order corresponding with this announcement is EO 1C1120.

Under Alaska’s Health Mandates 10, 11, 12, and 17 commercial fishing is an Essential Business and is part of Alaska’s Essential Services and Critical Infrastructure. Commercial fishermen should ensure that all travel and other activities in support of commercial fishing operations follow protocols in Alaska COVID-19 Health Mandates. COVID-19 Health Mandates may be found here: https://gov.alaska.gov/home/covid19-healthmandates/