At the March 16-20, 2009, meeting in Anchorage the Board of Fisheries approved a Pot Shrimp Management Plan for Prince William Sound that requires anglers to have a permit in their possession when fishing for shrimp. The plan relies on department surveys to determine the harvestable surplus of shrimp available in Prince William Sound each year. The Board allocated 40% of the allowable harvest to the commercial fishery and 60% to the non-commercial (sport, personal use, and subsistence) fisheries.

In addition, the Board established a threshold of 110,000 pounds necessary to open a commercial fishery. Data collected during the department’s surveys set the 2009 harvest level at 96,500 pounds. Therefore, a commercial pot shrimp fishery will not take place in 2009. 

To collect more timely data from the noncommercial fisheries, a permit will be required to participate in those fisheries. There is no fee for the permit and they should be available at ADF&G offices by April 2. The number of pots, seasons, and open waters remain unchanged from previous years. 

For more information on the noncommercial fisheries and the permit requirement, please contact Dan Bosch in Anchorage at (907) 267-2153. For questions on the Pot Shrimp Management Plan and regulations for the commercial fishery, please contact Charlie Trowbridge in Homer at (907) 235-8191.