Salmon trollers operating hand or power troll gear in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska may legally retain and sell bycatch of several species of groundfish taken incidentally during their fishery.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) officials on Jan. 2 identified those species as lingcod, demersal shelf rockfish and other rockfish, spiny dog, sablefish and other groundfish.
Bycatch allowances for each species or species aggregate reflect the percentage that may be retained and sold and is based on the round weight of salmon and round weight of the bycatch species on board the vessel.
Lingcod and black, blue, and dark rockfish are state-managed species and the bycatch allowances for these species in federal waters in exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are the same as those set for state waters, according to ADF&G.
The retention of lingcod bycatch in the commercial salmon troll fishery is open May 16–November 30, or until area-specific lingcod troll allocations are harvested.
The demersal shelf rockfish assemblage includes yelloweye, canary, quillback, copper, tiger, China, and rosethorn rockfish.
Vessels trolling for salmon in the EEZ in the Gulf of Alaska that retain groundfish bycatch must have a Federal Fisheries Permit endorsed for troll gear.
Bycatch catch in excess of the allowable bycatch limit must be forfeited to the state of Alaska.
