Section 5 AAC 27.865 - Bristol Bay Herring Management Plan(a) When managing the Bristol Bay commercial herring fishery, the primary objectives of the department are to prosecute an orderly and manageable fishery, while striving for the highest level of product value with a minimum of waste.(b) To ensure that no gear group is totally disadvantaged, the Board of Fisheries directs the department to take the following actions given the specified circumstances: (1) when circumstances preclude the department from adequately assessing the biomass, the fishery must be managed for an exploitation based on the preseason projected return; (2) whenever possible, openings for both gear types must begin during the hours of daylight, and special consideration will be given to afford the maximum amount of daylight; (4) the maximum exploitation rate for the Bristol Bay herring stock is 20 percent; before opening the Togiak District herring fishery for sac roe and other herring products, the department shall set aside approximately 1,500 short tons for the Togiak District herring spawn-on-kelp fishery, and seven percent of the remaining available harvest for the Dutch Harbor food and bait fishery; if the actual harvest is less than the herring spawn-on-kelp guideline harvest level, the commissioner may reallocate 50 percent of the remainder to the Togiak District herring fishery; (5) after the herring spawn-on-kelp harvest and the Dutch Harbor food and bait fishery have been subtracted, the remaining harvestable surplus is allocated to the Togiak District herring fishery; the department shall manage for a removal of 30 percent of that surplus by the gillnet fleet and 70 percent by the purse seine fleet, except that the allocations in this subsection shall be 20 percent by the gillnet fleet and 80 percent by purse seine fleet through December 31, 2022;(6) if a manageable separation of the year classes occurs, an exploitation rate of up to 20 percent may be allowed on the younger age herring (four years or less), and no fishery may be considered if this recruit population is less than 20,000 short tons;(7) late season (post-peak) herring fishery openings must be based on one or more of the following criteria: (A) a definable increase in the biomass of herring present on the fishing grounds; (B) a major shift in the age composition of the herring in a definable biomass that is large enough to allow a harvest; (8) through December 31, 2022, if the department's in season projection of the Togiak District gillnet harvest is less than the guideline harvest level, the commissioner may reallocate 50 percent of the remaining gillnet guideline harvest level to the Togiak District purse seine fleet.In effect before 1982; am 4/14/82, Register 82; am 4/28/84, Register 90; am 4/2/88, Register 105; am 4/7/90, Register 114; am 4/2/92, Register 122; am 4/5/2001, Register 158; am 6/22/2001, Register 158; am 4/9/2004, Register 170; am 4/21/2004, Register 170; am 3/30/2007, Register 181; am 4/16/2016, Register 218, July 2016; am 5/31/2019, Register 230, May 2019; am 3/27/2022, Register 241, April 2022; am 4/16/2023, Register 246, July 2023Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251