(Anchorage) – The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) adopted several proposals on miscellaneous shellfish including Prince William Sound shrimp, Cook Inlet Tanner crab, and east and west Cook Inlet razor clams at its March 2025 meeting in Anchorage. Regulatory changes are summarized below as a service but not as a complete digest of all 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 Shrimp
- No changes were made to the Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) allocations between noncommercial and commercial fisheries. The noncommercial (sport and subsistence) fisheries GHL remains at 60% of the Total Allowable Harvest (TAH).
- Based on an updated Prince William Sound shrimp surplus production model presented to the board, the following triggers were adopted:
- At a shrimp biomass estimate of B20 (20% of carrying capacity), both noncommercial and commercial fisheries will close to the harvest of shrimp.
- At a shrimp biomass estimate of B40 (40% of carrying capacity), the commercial fishery will close to the harvest of shrimp.
- The start date of the shrimp season moved from April 15 to May 1 for noncommercial and commercial fisheries.
- Only one additional shrimp pot may be carried on a vessel above the legal limit that season. (example: if 2 pots are allowed to take shrimp, only a total of 3 pots may be on your vessel)
- Shrimp and crab pots may not be fished on the same line.
- Long-lining of shrimp pots was clarified that on a single buoy line, more than one shrimp pot may be used.
The 2025 Prince William Sound shrimp emergency order will be issued in the next week announcing pot limits and seasonal restrictions for the noncommercial fishery.
Cook Inlet Tanner crab
- Modified the threshold abundance of legal male Tanner crab from the Kachemak Bay trawl survey to be based on the most recent annual survey estimate instead of a 3-year average abundance.
The Kachemak Bay trawl survey has not been conducted since 2019 due to a loss of funding and a loss of an ADF&G research vessel in Homer. This regulation change to the harvest strategy will provide a more cost-effective approach to monitoring Tanner crab in Kachemak Bay and provide additional harvest opportunities when the abundance threshold of legal males is met or exceeded. It is not anticipated that the trawl survey will be conducted in 2025. ADF&G has obtained a new research vessel that will be available in 2026 to conduct the Kachemak Bay trawl survey if funding is identified.
Cook Inlet Razor Clams
- The East Cook Inlet limited razor clam fishery season and bag/possession limits were reduced to a season of August 1 through August 31 and a bag limit of 15 clams per person per day.
Currently the East Cook Inlet razor clam fisheries are closed. ADF&G will be conducting abundance surveys at Ninilchik and Clam Gulch in the spring through May and we will announce the results by late May. If the abundance thresholds are met for either location, the sport and personal use fisheries will be open for the month of August only. Otherwise, they will remain closed until the abundance threshold is met in following surveys.
- Created a permit for participation and harvest reporting and adopt failure to report requirements for both East and West Cook Inlet sport and personal use fisheries.
This newly created permit will not be required until the 2026 season. Clammers will only need a sport fishing license to participate in 2025. Permits will be available online or at ADF&G offices.
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.
For additional information about Cook Inlet Tanner crab and razor clam sport fisheries, please contact Area Management Biologist Mike Booz at (907) 235-8191 or michael.booz@alaska.gov or Assistant Area Management Biologist Holly Dickson at (907) 235-8191 or holly.dickson@alsaka.gov.