Section 5 AAC 06.373 - Alagnak River Sockeye Salmon Special Harvest Area Management Plan(a)The goal of this management plan is to allow the harvest of surplus Alagnak River sockeye salmon stocks in the Alagnak River Special Harvest Area while conserving Kvichak River sockeye salmon.(b) The Alagnak River Special Harvest Area (ARSHA) consists of the waters of the Alagnak River between a line from 59° 00.33' N. lat., 156° 49.43' W. long. to 59° 00.00' N. lat., 156° 49.00' W. long. upstream to a line from 59° 01.17' N. lat., 156° 45.68' W. long. to 59° 00.90' N. lat., 156° 45.31' W. long.(c) Salmon may be taken in the ARSHA under this section only during fishing periods established by emergency order. The commissioner may open, by emergency order, the ARSHA only after the Alagnak River sockeye salmon sustainable escapement goal has been met. To ensure adequate Alagnak River king salmon escapement, the department shall, to the extent practicable, manage the ARSHA to minimize the harvest of king salmon.(d) Salmon may be taken in the ARSHA with set gillnet and drift gillnet gear. Salmon harvested in the ARSHA will not count against the allocations of sockeye salmon to the gillnet fisheries specified in 5 AAC 06.364(b). To the extent practicable, drift gillnet and set gillnet fishing will open separately, with openings alternating between the two gear groups. If, after a total of four openings, the harvest from either gear group is less than 50 percent of the other gear group's harvest, alternating openings will not be required, and the department may increase the number of openings for the gear group with the greater harvest.(e) When the ARSHA is open under this section, a gillnet may only be operated as follows: (1) a set gillnet may not exceed 25 fathoms in length;(2) a set gillnet may not be set or operated within 150 feet of another set gillnet;(4) a set gillnet must be operated in a substantially straight line perpendicular to the nearest bank of the Alagnak River;(6) all gear and equipment associated with set gillnet fishing in the ARSHA must be removed from the water when it is not being used to fish in the ARSHA;(7) no more than 50 fathoms of drift gillnet may be used to take salmon;(8) a CFEC permit holder may not use more than one gillnet to take salmon at any time;(9) a drift gillnet vessel may not have more than 150 fathoms of drift gillnet on board the vessel; (10)5 AAC 06.331(i), (m), (o), and (p) do not apply except that the anchoring device may not be more than 50 feet from the web of the net; (11) a set gillnet may be set or operated seaward of another set gillnet.Eff. 6/15/2005, Register 174; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 4/4/2013, Register 206; am 4/16/2016, Register 218, July 2016; am 5/31/2019, Register 230, May 2019 Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251