The state has expanded a fishing closure for shrimp in Southeast Alaska to protect the species. Shrimping in Southeast is now closed to all harvesters through April 30. It’s the first time the seasonal closure has expanded to sport, personal use and subsistence fisheries, in addition to commercial shrimpers.
Troy Thynes, who coordinates commercial fishing in the region for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said 20 to 30% of Southeast’s overall shrimp harvest is caught by sport, personal use and subsistence permit holders.
“Around Southeast, we’ve seen declines in shrimp abundance, and this was in response to that,” Thynes said. “And we’ve also seen increase in the proportion of harvest from these sport, personal use and subsistence fisheries based on our permit data.”
Thynes said permit holders in Ketchikan, Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg and Craig harvest about 70% of Southeast’s shrimp in the personal use and subsistence fisheries.
The annual closure, which is typically reserved for commercial fishermen, comes after the Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted regulations last year to protect shrimp eggs during their hatch period. According to the department, the seasonal closure is intended to benefit the long-term sustainability of the fishery.
The shrimp fishery will reopen to sport, personal use and subsistence permit holders on May 1. It will reopen to commercial users on May 15.
