The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports that the Cook Inlet Area sablefish season will open July 15 with a guideline harvest level (GHL) of 119,000 lb. Participating vessels may not land or have on board more than 3,000 lb of sablefish (round weight) in any two consecutive day period. All state-waters sablefish harvest must be landed within 24 hours of the closure (5 AAC 28.371). A vessel retaining sablefish in federal waters may not operate gear in state waters of the Cook Inlet Area during the same trip.
There is a 6-hour prior notice of landing (PNOL) for the Cook Inlet Area sablefish fishery (5 AAC 28.360 (d)). Vessel operators are required to contact ADF&G after each sablefish trip by calling (907) 226-2121 at least 6 hours prior to landing and reporting the following: 1) vessel name and ADF&G number, 2) date and location of landing, 3) estimated time of arrival, 4) buyer or processor, 5) estimated pounds of sablefish onboard, and 6) if sablefish is whole or dressed.
Additionally, log sheets are required and must: 1) include the date, the specific location of harvest by latitude and longitude, the number of hooks or the number of pots fished, the average depth of each set fished, and the time gear is deployed and hauled for each set; 2) include for the target species, and for each bycatch species, the number of fish retained and discarded; 3) be updated within 24 hours after midnight local time on the day of operation; and 4) be made available to a local representative of ADF&G upon request. The completed log sheets must also be submitted to ADF&G no later than seven days following delivery and correspond with each ADF&G sablefish fish ticket.
Vessels participating in the Cook Inlet Area sablefish fishery must remain inside state waters of the Cook Inlet Area for the entire trip when retaining sablefish from state waters during that trip. Sablefish IFQ-holders who want to participate in this fishery should contact NMFS enforcement in Kodiak (907-486-3298), Homer (907-235-2337), or Seward (907-224-5348) prior to fishing.
Groundfish pots may be longlined in the sablefish fishery; at least one marked buoy must be attached to each end of the longline and no more than 15 groundfish pots may be attached to the same line (5 AAC 28.330 (c)).
Any vessel retaining sablefish during this season must possess a Cook Inlet Area sablefish registration. To register, fishers must present a Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) sablefish (statewide) permit card for the appropriate gear type. A vessel may not be registered for more than one groundfish registration area at a time. To change registration areas, a vessel owner or agent must notify ADF&G in Homer. Participants are encouraged to register by phone/fax by contacting the Homer ADF&G office at (907) 235-8191 (fax: 907-235-2448).
Photo courtesy of www.fisheries.noaa.gov.
