Pot Cod: State, federal, and parallel fisheries

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

Recently, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council decided to decrease the Pacific cod quota by 80 percent due to declines in cod numbers. Fishermen are looking at a less promising season than in previous years, but the federal cod fisheries still opened for the new year.

KMXT took the opportunity to find out about some fishery basics.

We spoke with Alaska Department of Fish and Game area management biologist for the Groundfish, Shellfish & Dive Fisheries, Nat Nichols, about the federal and state openings when it comes to pot cod.