By the Alaska Journal of Commerce

A new state open-access Pacific cod fishery, within three miles of shore, opens in mid-March west of the Aleutian Islands with a guideline harvest level of nearly 13 million pounds.

The guideline harvest level approved in late February by the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, held in Ketchikan, is apportioned so a maximum of 70 percent, or 9 million pounds, will be available prior to June 10. The remaining 30 percent, or 3.9 million pounds, plus any rollover from the first season, won't be available until June 10.

Given worldwide shortages of cod and acceptance of Pacific cod in European markets, economists see strong market demand for these harvests.

The state board directed that the fishery open on or after March 15, at the conclusion of the initial parallel catcher-vessel trawl fishery for Pacific cod in the federal Pacific cod fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. A parallel fishery is one operating under the same regulations at the same time in federal and state waters.

The state-waters fishery is open to jig, pot, longline and bottom-trawl gear types. Trawl and longline gear may not be used from May 1 - Sept. 15, unless operating in the 60-foot-and-under vessel size limitation areas near Adak Island. In Sitkin Sound, near Adak Island, the vessel size limit is in effect year-round for all gear types.

The daily harvest limit for each vessel is 150,000 pounds, with a maximum of 300,000 pounds of unprocessed Pacific cod onboard a vessel. All Pacific cod taken must be retained, and any overage must be immediately reported to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, with proceeds from the overage forfeited to the state. Each vessel will be required to report daily to the department.

All Steller sea lion area closures that are in effect during the parallel fishery will also apply in the state-waters fishery. State officials also said that limits on other fish caught incidentally that apply in the parallel fishery also would apply in the state-waters fishery.