(Anchorage) – The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted several proposals establishing new sport fishing regulations for the Prince William Sound Management Area at its December 2024 meeting in Cordova. Regulatory changes are summarized below as a service to anglers, and not as a complete digest of all sport fishing regulations. The new regulations will take effect with the release of the 2025 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet when it is issued in April 2025.
Prince William Sound Salt waters (Cape Fairfield to Cape Suckling and waters 200 miles south in the Gulf of Alaska)
Rockfish
- Rockfish bag limit is reduced to 3 per day, 6 in possession, of which only 1 per day and 1 in possession may be a nonpelagic rockfish.
- Yelloweye rockfish may not be retained from January 1 – June 30 (same as lingcod season).
Main Bay
- Anglers may no longer fish from a vessel or shore inside a line 200 feet seaward of the Main Bay Hatchery barrier seine.
Charter Operators and Crew
- Charter operators and their crew may no longer retain rockfish or king salmon when clients are onboard their vessel.
Tanner Crab
- A sport fishery for Tanner crab will open in fall 2025 and align with the seasons and stipulations of the subsistence fishery. A permit will be required.
For additional information about Prince William Sound sport fisheries, please contact Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth at (907) 267-2186 or brittany.blain@alaska.gov or Assistant Area Management Biologist Donald Arthur at (907) 267-2225 or donald.arthur@alsaka.gov.