Section 5 AAC 28.629 - Lawful gear for Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands Area(a) Unless otherwise specified in this section, groundfish may be taken with the gear specified in 5 AAC 28.050.(b) Rockfish may not be taken with seine gear.(c) Only five mechanical jigging machines may be operated from a vessel.(d) In the Sitkin Sound waters described in 5 AAC 28.690(a), rockfish may be taken only with pot, longline, mechanical jigging machine, and hand troll gear.(f) Notwithstanding (d) of this section, in the Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands Area, deacon and black rockfish may be taken in a directed fishery only with mechanical jigging machines and handlines.(g) Sablefish may be taken only with pots, longlines, mechanical jigging machines and hand troll gear as described in 5 AAC 28.640.(h) At least one buoy on each groundfish pot must be legibly marked with the permanent ADF&G vessel license plate number of the vessel operating the gear. The buoy may bear only the number of the vessel operating the gear. The number must be placed on the top one-half of the buoy in numerals at least four inches high, one-half inch wide, and in a color that contrasts with the color of each buoy. The buoy markings must be visible on the buoy above the water's surface when the buoy is attached to the groundfish pot.(i) A groundfish pot may not be attached to a line connected to another groundfish pot, except that, in the Aleutian Islands-Western District sablefish fishery, groundfish pots may be connected if each end of the buoy line is marked as specified in (j) of this section.(j) Each end of a groundfish pot longline must have a buoy attached and each buoy must be marked with the permanent ADF&G vessel license plate number of the vessel operating the longlined groundfish pot gear; each buoy must have the letters LP to designate the gear as longlined groundfish pot gear and each buoy may bear only the number of the vessel operating the gear. The numbers and letters must be marked on the top one-half of each buoy in numbers and letters that are at least four inches high, one-half inch wide, and in a color that contrasts with the color of each buoy; all buoy markings must be visible on the buoys above the water's surface when the buoys are attached to the longlined groundfish pot gear. For the purposes of this section, "longlined" means more than one groundfish pot is attached to a stationary, buoyed, and anchored line.Eff. 4/4/97, Register 142; am 7/5/2000, Register 155; am 5/19/2001, Register 158; am 5/31/2001, Register 158; am 1/16/2005, Register 173; am 2/13/2005, Register 173; am 10/16/2011, Register 200; am 6/1/2013, Register 206; am 8/27/2016, Register 219, October 2016; am 3/26/2023, Register 245, April 2023