(Kodiak) - To ensure sustainable harvests of rockfish and implement provisions of the Kodiak Area Rockfish Management Plan, bag and possession limits for rockfish are being modified in the waters of Afognak Island and the Westside and Northeastern parts of Kodiak Island north of Cape Ikolik ( 57° 17.196’ N. lat.), north of the latitude of Dangerous Cape (57° 16.596' N. lat.) and southern Afognak waters south of the latitude of Tonki Cape (58° 21.181’ N. lat.) and south of the latitude of Black Cape (58° 24.583’ N. lat.). This is equivalent to the southern portion of the Afognak District, Westside and Northeast Districts and the part of the Eastside District consisting of groundfish statistical areas 525701 and 525702 north of Dangerous Cape (see attached map). This modification is necessary due to increasing harvest and participation in the fishery, particularly targeting black rockfish, and concerns over long term sustainability of these populations. Preliminary 2025 black rockfish harvests were 8,834 in the Northeast District, 3,595 in the Eastside District, 6,262 in the Afognak District and 5,176 in the Westside District.

This regulation restriction is effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 1 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026. The bag limit for rockfish in this area is five per day, 10 in possession, of which no more than two per day, four in possession may be of a single rockfish species, and no more than one per day, two in possession can be a yelloweye rockfish, and no more than one per day, two in possession can be a black rockfish.

In the northern Afognak and Shuyak Islands the harvest of black rockfish has increased significantly since 2019. Bag limits for rockfish in this area will be reduced and will be similar to Cook Inlet rockfish bag limits for regulatory simplicity in management areas that are in close proximity. Recent hydroacoustic surveys aimed at estimating rockfish abundance showed a significant decrease in abundance and density of black rockfish in this area and northern Afognak and Shuyak Islands account for approximately 40% of the harvest of black rockfish in the Afognak District while having the lowest densities of black rockfish found in the Kodiak Management Area.

In the waters of northern Afognak and Shuyak Islands, north of the latitude of Tonki Cape (58° 21.181’ N. lat.) and north of the latitude of Black Cape (58° 24.583’ N. lat.), including the waters of Tonki and Perenosa bays between these capes (see attached map), the bag limit for rockfish is 3 per day, of which no more than one may be of a single species effective from 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 1 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 2026.

“Emergency orders issued in the previous several seasons have been effective in reducing the proportion of the rockfish harvest made up of black rockfish in accordance with the Kodiak Area Rockfish Management Plan, however, the abundance and density of black rockfish continues to decline and some areas around Kodiak and Afognak Islands continue to see increasing rockfish harvest. Reducing the bag limit for individual species during the 2024 and 2025 seasons continued to reduce harvest of black rockfish in some areas of the island, however, preliminary harvest estimates indicate that the 2025 harvest of black rockfish was still well above sustainable harvest levels for Afognak and Northeast Districts and the Eastside District was very near the limit of sustainable harvest,” stated Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum. “Additionally, harvest of rockfish, and black rockfish particularly, continues to increase in the Westside District and in northern Afognak and Shuyak Island. As participation and interest in sport fishing for rockfish is expected to remain high for 2026, it is warranted to implement additional restrictions for harvesting black rockfish to ensure sustainable harvests, given that they are long-lived, slow-growing, and vulnerable to overfishing, particularly in localized areas. Retaining the overall, five fish limit for rockfish for most areas will allow anglers increased opportunity for rockfish species, but harvest would be spread across a variety of species.”

ADF&G will continue to monitor harvests and biological information using saltwater guide logbooks, dockside sampling data, and the Statewide Harvest Survey. An ongoing hydroacoustic abundance survey for black rockfish will also be conducted to compare harvest rates in all fisheries with the latest abundance estimates.

For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum at
(907) 486-1880.

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