Catching cod in a pot might seem a little tricky, but it’s a booming fishery in Unalaska. 

The Pacific pot cod season opened on New Year’s Day and catcher vessels are moving quickly through the 9,950 metric ton quota. 

As of Thursday, 27 boats had caught nearly 8 million pounds of cod or 36 percent of the quota.  National Marine Fisheries Service biologist Krista Milani says she’s heard the fishing has been good, although NMFS doesn’t keep track of catch rates.

Westward plant manager Dan Lee agrees.  He says the pricing this year is also better, with processors paying an average of $0.35 per pound, compared to $0.32 or $0.33 last year.  He added that there’s a premium on pot cod as opposed to trawl-caught cod because the fish is generally in better condition.

The season is expected to wrap up in the next 10 days or so and then most of the boats will switch out their gear and fish opilio or snow crab for a couple months.