Federal fisheries managers meeting in Anchorage have recommended substantially revised catch limits for Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Pacific cod for 2026 and 2027 after previewing updated stock assessment data.
The decision of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on Thursday, Feb. 5, goes into effect as an in-season adjustment on Monday, Feb. 9, with the long-term final harvest specifications for groundfish to be published sometime in March, Diana Evans, executive director of the council, said on Friday, Feb. 6.
The council's action will increase catch limits in the western and central GOA by 25-49 percent, surpassing recommendations made by the council at its December meeting, also held in Anchorage.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is expected to publish an in-season adjustment to implement the Pacific cod subarea catch limits and subsequent gear sector apportionments and seasonal allowance. The council's catch limits account for the state water Pacific cod fisheries to avoid exceeding the stock's acceptable biological catch limit.
Evans said the council's action to request an undated Pacific cod assessment early this year, rather than wait until the regular fall time frame, came as a result of the government shutdown, which prevented staff from completing their planned stock assessment in 2025.
Pacific cod is a core species for GOA fisheries, which is utilized by every fishing sector and many communities. The assessment incorporates data from the 2025 NOAA bottom trawl survey, which showed a substantial increase in Gulf cod abundance, but the federal fisheries managers had no way last December to respond to that increase without an updated stock assessment. The council was hopeful that the assessment would show an increase and asked for help from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in a shortened time frame, Evans said.
The assessment was reviewed by the council's GOA plan team and Scientific and Statistical Committee, along with an ecosystem status report and GOA Pacific cod ecosystem and socioeconomic profile. The council always recommends catch limits for two years to avoid a gap in catch limits early in the second year, but will review and recommend updated 2027 specifications for all groundfish stocks this coming December, council staff said.
In December of 2025, the council had recommended a 2026 total allowable catch of 21,826 metric tons of Pacific cod in the GOA.
