Fishery Management
- NOAA Fisheries and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the sablefish fishery in Alaska.
- Managed under the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish Fishery Management Plans:
- Fishing season runs from approximately March 1 to November 15 (subject to change each year).
- Fixed gear (longlines and pots) harvests 90 percent of annual quota and trawl gear harvests about 10 percent.
- The majority of fixed gear is managed with an individual fishing quota (catch shares) program.
- The State of Alaska manages fisheries in state waters under a shared quota system and also manages separate state fisheries.
- NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council manage the sablefish fishery on the West Coast.
- Managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan:
- Coast-wide catch limits among different fishing groups and gear types.
- Daily trip limits for some vessels.
- Individual fishing quota (catch shares) for the trawl fishery and some of the fixed gear fishery. The West Coast groundfish trawl fishery is managed under a trawl rationalization catch share program.
- Full observer coverage in the trawl fishery, partial coverage in the fixed gear fishery.