Spot Prawn Recovery in Prince William Sound Due to Careful Management by ADF&G
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Peggy Parker - April 24, 2015
The spot prawn (Pandalas platyceros) fishery in Prince William Sound is back, largely due to the commitment of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s shellfish managers to a rebuilding plan based on sound research and precautionary principles.
It didn’t start out that way. In 1960, when the first commercial shrimp landings were recorded, the season was open year round with no harvest limit. Pots were dropped throughout the Sound, a 100-mile -square area at the northernmost reach of the Gulf of Alaska.
Landings were low for the first two decades, staying below 25,000 pounds per year. Only nine vessels participated in the fishery in 1978. But with markets expanding, effort increased and in 1986 the fishery peaked with nearly 90 vessels harvesting more than 290,000 pounds.
The expansion was tempered in 1982 when a guideline harvest range was...
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