Section 5 AAC 28.173 - Lingcod possession and landing requirements for Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area(a) In the Southeast District, a vessel fishing for (1) halibut with longline gear may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of the bycatch percentage, specified in the first emergency order of the season, by round weight, of all halibut on board the vessel; based on harvest, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the bycatch season and immediately reopen a bycatch season during which a different lingcod bycatch level is allowed;(2) sablefish may not land or have on board lingcod, except as specified in (3) of this subsection;(3) halibut and sablefish at the same time may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of the bycatch percentage, specified in the first emergency order of the season, by round weight, of all halibut on board the vessel; based on harvest data, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the bycatch fishing season and immediately reopen a bycatch season during which a different lingcod bycatch level is allowed;(4) salmon with troll gear in the waters of Sitka Sound described in 5 AAC 28.150(a) may retain and have on board no more than two lingcod only from May 16 through November 30, or until closed by emergency order, and only if the permit holder (A) immediately removes the dorsal fin of the Iingcod retained; the head of a ling cod retained under this paragraph must remain attached to determine if the lingcod meets the legal size requirement of (e) of this section; (B) weighs and reports the Iingcod retained for the permit holder's personal use on an ADF&G fish ticket as required in 5 AAC 39.130; a Iingcod retained under this paragraph may not be sold.(b) In the Southeast District, a vessel fishing with longline gear may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of 35 percent, by round weight, of all target species taken in the directed fishery that are on board the vessel.(c) In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, a vessel using trawl gear may not land or have on board lingcod.(e) All lingcod retained must measure at least 27 inches from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, or 20.5 inches from the front of the dorsal fin to the tip of the tail. Undersized lingcod must be returned to the water immediately without further harm.(f) In a directed lingcod fishery, if the commissioner determines that a trip limit will contribute to conservation or promote an orderly fishery, the commissioner may close, by emergency order, the directed lingcod fishery and reopen the fishery during which a trip limit is in effect.(g) If the commissioner determines it necessary for biological sampling purposes, the commissioner may close, by emergency order, a fishing season for lingcod and immediately reopen the season with a requirement that all lingcod be delivered with the head on and with the vent and the external area one inch forward of the vent unmutilated, as evidence of gender.Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130; am 6/15/97, Register 142; am 5/31/98, Register 146; am 6/14/2000, Register 154; am 12/30/2000, Register 156; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 5/31/2009, Register 190; am 7/1/2015, Register 214, July 2015Before Register 130, 4/15/94, the substance of 5 AAC 28.173 was contained in 5 AAC 28.170. The history note for 5 AAC 28.173 does not reflect the history of the provision before Register 130, 4/15/94.
Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251