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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has announced the final groundfish harvest specifications for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) for the years 2025 and 2026. This includes details on total allowable catches (TACs), acceptable biological catches (ABCs), and prohibited species catch (PSC) limits, aimed at conserving fish resources while balancing ecological and economic needs based on the latest scientific data. These regulations follow goals set by the Fishery Management Plan prepared by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and align with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to manage fisheries sustainably. The rule notes that TACs are intentionally set below ABCs to ensure sustainability, and it addresses how these specifications were informed by public comments and scientific assessments.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is implementing a temporary rule to stop fishing for Pacific cod using pot gear in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska. This is because the limit for how much Pacific cod can be caught during the "A" season in 2025 is about to be reached. The action will be in effect from March 10, 2025, to June 10, 2025, to ensure that the fishing limits aren't exceeded. The decision was based on recent data, and the usual notice and comment period was waived to act quickly.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has reopened directed fishing for Pacific cod in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska. This decision allows catcher vessels using trawl gear to fully utilize the 2021 season's allocation of Pacific cod. The fishing season will run from January 20, 2021, to June 10, 2021. This temporary rule modification was made to allow the use of remaining Pacific cod quotas and was not open to prior public comment due to the need for a timely response.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has temporarily banned fishing for Pacific cod with jig gear in a specific area of the Gulf of Alaska. This decision aims to ensure that the amount of fish caught does not exceed the allowed limit for the A season of 2025. The restriction is active from April 14, 2025, to June 10, 2025, and is based on regulations established to protect fish populations. The agency expedited the rule's implementation due to urgent, recent data indicating the catch limit was nearly reached.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of NOAA and the Commerce Department, has announced a temporary rule to stop directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in a specific part of the Gulf of Alaska. This decision is to ensure the 2025 total allowable catch for this area is not exceeded and will be in effect from February 28, 2025, to June 10, 2025. The rule was enacted quickly without prior public notice or comment due to the urgent nature of the situation, based on data that became available in January 2025.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued a temporary rule to stop directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using pot gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska. This action, effective from March 10 to June 10, 2025, is necessary to ensure the Pacific cod catch does not exceed the allowed limit for the 2025 season. The imposed closure responds to recent data indicating that the catch quota is nearing its limit. The rule was implemented without prior public notice or delay to quickly address the situation as per the guidelines of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is hosting a webinar on March 6, 2025, to engage the public and provide information about the Council's Programmatic Evaluation. This evaluation will consider updates to the management policies for the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska fisheries in light of environmental changes. The webinar aims to clarify the materials related to the Evaluation before the Council discusses it in their April 2025 meeting. Public comments can be submitted online, and the webinar will be recorded and available on the Council's website.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has published a notice detailing the standard prices and fee percentage for cost recovery under the Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program. The program's cost recovery fees cover management and enforcement costs and are capped at 3% of the ex-vessel value of harvested rockfish. For 2020, despite the actual costs being 3.66%, the fee percentage has been set at 3.0%, the same as in 2019, due to legal restrictions. The decrease in fishery value from the previous year resulted in a higher fee percentage calculation before adjustments.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is announcing the standard prices and the fee percentage for cost recovery for the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program for the 2024 fishing year, which runs from May 1 to November 15. The fee percentage is set at 3.00 percent, which is the maximum allowable by law, even though the calculated cost recovery rate was higher. These fees are used to cover management and enforcement costs and must be paid by February 15, 2025. The significant increase in program costs and the decrease in fishery value led to the higher calculated recovery rate.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has issued a temporary rule to close directed fishing for Pacific cod using pot gear in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska. This closure is necessary to ensure the total allowable catch for the 2021 A season is not exceeded. The rule is effective from February 3, 2021, until June 10, 2021, as the limit of 1,060 metric tons has been reached, with an additional 8 metric tons reserved for bycatch. This action is based on the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.