February 6, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Diana Evans at 907-271-2815
Council recommends substantial increase to Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod catch limits for 2026-27
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended revised 2026 and 2027 catch limits for Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Pacific cod after reviewing an updated stock assessment which incorporated recent survey data and receiving recommendations from its Scientific and Statistical Committee. This action increases catch limits in the western and central Gulf of Alaska by 25%-49%. These specifications supersede the Council’s recommendations from its December 2025 meeting. NMFS is publishing an inseason adjustment shortly to implement the Pacific cod subarea catch limits and subsequent gear sector apportionments and seasonal allowances. The Council’s catch limits account for state water Pacific cod fisheries to avoid exceeding the stock’s acceptable biological catch limit.
The Council’s action to request an updated Pacific cod assessment early in 2026 rather than waiting until the regular fall timeframe was a result of the government shutdown, which prevented staff from completing the planned stock assessment in 2025. Pacific cod is a core species for Gulf of Alaska fisheries, which is utilized by every fishing sector and many communities. The assessment incorporates information from the 2025 NOAA bottom trawl survey, which observed a notable increase in GOA cod abundance, but the Council had no mechanism last December to respond to that increase without an updated stock assessment.
The assessment was reviewed by the Council’s Gulf of Alaska Plan Team and Scientific and Statistical Committee consistent with the standard process for scientific review, along with an Ecosystem Status Report (ESR), and GOA Pacific cod Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (ESP). The Council acknowledged the exceptional efforts of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center to provide the updated assessment on the shortened timeframe. 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 in December 2026.
For more detailed information:
- Council recommendations for GOA Pacific cod harvest specifications for 2026-2027.
- February Council meeting eAgenda (Item C1).
- Draft SSC Report from February 2026.
Fishery participants can monitor the Federal Register and/or NMFS’ website for notice of the inseason adjustment, which is currently scheduled to be effective February 9, 2026: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/rules-and-announcements/bulletins.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) in 1976 to manage fisheries in the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, 3 miles off the coast of Alaska. Per the MSA, the 11 voting members serving on the Council are regional experts appointed by the Secretary of Commerce; designees of the state marine fisheries commissioners from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon; and the Regional Administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Federal fisheries decisions must be consistent with the MSA and other federal laws. The Council, along with its advisory bodies, was formed so federal fishery management decisions could be made at a regional level, emphasizing public input.