(Anchorage, AK) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, is announcing updates to Alaska sport fishing regulations. These regulatory changes were adopted by the Alaska Board of Fisheries at the March Statewide Finfish & Supplemental Issues meeting and will be in effect for the 2026 sport fishing season.
Summary of Sport Fish Regulation Changes:

• Proposal 181: Aligns the regulatory definition of sport fishing with current statute. This clarifies the common practice that a fishing line must be attached to a rod or held in the hand and may not be attached solely to other devices such as a drone or remote-controlled boat.
• Proposal 183: When rockfish, lingcod and king salmon are harvested, the fish must remain in a condition such that species can be determined and, when applicable, total length can be measured. Fish must remain in this condition until the vessel is tied up at a docking location where the fish will be offloaded, or when an angler fishing from the shoreline is departing the fishing location. These new regulations do not prohibit the consumption or preservation of fish at any time.
  • For species identification, anglers must keep enough of the fish with skin attached so it can be identified by species. You can fillet your catch but leave the skin on each fillet.
  • For length requirements, lingcod and king salmon must be kept intact in a way that allows their total length to be measured. If you fillet the fish, keep the carcass including head, backbone, and tail in one piece so it can be measured.
• Proposal 184: For statewide consistency, all rockfish will now be classified into one of three groups: pelagic (midwater) rockfish (e.g., black, blue, dusky), nonpelagic rockfish (e.g., copper, China, quillback), or demersal shelf rockfish (e.g., yelloweye, canary, tiger). This change does not affect bag or possession limits or other rockfish regulations.

These changes are included in the 2026 Alaska Sport Fishing Regulation Summary booklet. For a complete summary of actions please see the 2026 Statewide Finfish Board of Fisheries meeting webpage.

For additional information, please contact the Sport Fish Information Center in Anchorage at (907) 267-2218.

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