Pot, jig and longline hook gear fishing is now open under the 2026 Prince William Sound Area parallel Pacific cod season.
Parallel Pacific cod seasons are established by emergency order to coincide with the season dates and gear types set by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for the initial Pacific cod season in the adjacent federal waters of the Central Gulf of Alaska Regulatory (GCOA) area.
Longline pots are not legal in the Prince William Sound parallel Pacific cod season.
The parallel Pacific cod season for jig and pot gear will close by emergency order to coincide with their respective gear sector closures in the CGOA. The parallel Pacific cod season for longline hook gear will close by emergency order to coincide with the federal closure of the less than 50 foot hook-and-line gear sector in the Central Gulf.
Harvesters must obtain a Prince William Sound gear specific parallel Pacific cod season registration from Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) prior to fishing. Harvesters using pot or longline hook gear in parallel Pacific cod fisheries must have a functioning, activated, NMFS-approved vessel monitoring system.
They must also adhere to federal seabird avoidance measures as required in all longline fisheries for groundfish in the Outside District of Prince William Sound.
Registrations are available online on the ADF&G website or at ADF&G offices in Homer, Cordova, Anchorage, Soldotna and Kodiak. Registrations may also be completed by fax or e-mail. Contact the Homer ADF&G office with groundfish regulatory and registration questions.
In addition, the department remains concerned about the status of rockfish stocks and is seeking the assistance of fishermen to set gear away from areas of known rockfish abundance.
Two Steller sea lion rookeries within PWS, Wooded Island (Fish Island) and Seal Rocks, remain closed to fishing for all gear types out to 3 nautical miles during a parallel Pacific cod season.
