The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces the 2026 season opening and closure for the sablefish fixed gear fisheries managed under the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program and the Community Development Quota (CDQ) Program. The season will open at 1200 hours, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), March 26, 2026, and will close at 1200 hours, A.l.t., December 7, 2026. These dates are the same as the 2026 commercial fishery dates for Pacific halibut adopted by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).
However, there is a difference in the time of day for opening and closing the halibut IFQ and CDQ commercial fishery and the Alaska sablefish IFQ and CDQ commercial fishery, which is subject to regulations that the time of all openings and closures of fishing seasons, other than the beginning and end of the calendar fishing year, is 1200 hours, A.l.t. (50 CFR 679.23(b)). IPHC regulations open the halibut IFQ and CDQ fishery at 0600 hours, A.l.t., on March 26, 2026, and NMFS will open the Alaska sablefish IFQ and CDQ fishery at 1200 hours, A.l.t., on March 26, 2026. Therefore, if gear is deployed to fish for halibut in the commercial fishery off Alaska before 1200 hours, A.l.t., on March 26, 2026, then IFQ or CDQ sablefish caught from that deployment may not be retained. If a vessel operator holds both halibut IFQ or CDQ and sablefish IFQ or CDQ, and the operator intends to retain sablefish on March 26, then the vessel should deploy its commercial fishing gear after 1200 hours, A.l.t.
IPHC regulations close the halibut IFQ and CDQ fishery at 2359 hours, A.l.t., on December 7, 2026, and NMFS will close the Alaska sablefish IFQ and CDQ fishery at 1200 hours, A.l.t., on December 7, 2026. Therefore, if gear is deployed to fish for halibut in the commercial fishery off Alaska after 1200 hours, A.l.t., on December 7, 2026, then IFQ and CDQ sablefish caught from that deployment may only be retained up to the Maximum Retainable Amount (MRA), except for catch of sablefish with longline pot gear in the Gulf of Alaska (50 CFR 679.23(g)(2)) which must be treated as a prohibited species. If an individual aboard a vessel holds both unused halibut IFQ or CDQ and sablefish IFQ or CDQ, and the operator intends to retain sablefish on December 7, 2026, after 1200 hours, A.l.t., then the vessel may only retain IFQ or CDQ sablefish in accordance with the MRA regulations at 50 CFR 679.20(e).
The season dates for sablefish IFQ and CDQ fishing facilitate coordination between the sablefish season, chosen by the Regional Administrator, Alaska Region, NMFS, and the halibut season, adopted by the IPHC. This action is taken pursuant to 50 CFR 679.23(g)(1). Fishing for CDQ sablefish with fixed gear under an approved CDQ allocation may occur only during the IFQ fishing season specified pursuant to 50 CFR 679.23(g)(1) (50 CFR 679.23(e)(4)(ii)).
This information bulletin only provides notice of a fishery management action. For the purposes of complying with any requirements of this action, you are advised to see the actual text of the action in the Federal Register.
