Current through September 25, 2024
Section 5 AAC 33.374 - District 12: Hidden Falls Hatchery Terminal Harvest Area Salmon Management Plan(a) The Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area for chum, king, and coho salmon consists of the waters of District 12 within two nautical miles of the Baranof Island shoreline south of the latitude of South Point and north of 57° 06.83' N. lat., excluding the waters of Kelp Bay.(b) Purse seine and troll openings will be managed by emergency order to harvest king and chum salmon returning to the Hidden Falls Hatchery in excess of broodstock and cost recovery needs.(c) From April 15 through June 30, chum and king salmon may be taken by troll and purse seine gear as follows: (1) purse seine openings will be limited to a maximum of two fishing days per week in the terminal harvest area in order to harvest surplus chum salmon;(2) if Sunday seine openings or mid-week openings do not occur, in order to achieve broodstock and cost recovery goals, the troll fishery for the harvest of chum salmon will be closed; if more than seven days remain before the July 1 general troll fishery opening, troll fisheries for king salmon may continue; however, chum salmon caught must be released immediately and may not be retained or sold;(3) before June 30, the waters of Kasnyku Bay west of a line from North Point to the westernmost tip of Round Island and north of the latitude of the westernmost tip of Round Island may be closed to purse seine fishing in order to provide troll gear access to king salmon.(d) Beginning July 1, king and chum salmon may be harvested by troll and purse seine gear as follows: (1) during troll and purse seine fishery openings, areas within the terminal harvest area may be closed to protect chum and king salmon broodstock or to provide for cost recovery;(2) to limit the troll gear harvest of chum salmon in the terminal harvest area, the number of chum salmon on board a troll vessel or recorded on a fish ticket may not exceed the number of king salmon on board the troll vessel or recorded on a fish ticket.(e) The Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area will be open to the retention of coho salmon by troll gear from June 1 through September 20, unless closed by emergency order. During a season when the general summer troll season is extended in District 12, the season in the Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area will also be extended. During the mid-August troll fishery closure, the Hidden Falls Terminal Harvest Area will be open. The open area will be restricted to an area within one mile from shore south of 57° 15.00' N. lat., north of 57° 10.00' N. lat., and west of a line from 57° 15.00' N. lat., 134° 48.60' W. long. to 57° 10.00' N. lat., 134° 46.40' W. long.(f) Instead of allowing the harvest of hatchery chum salmon for cost recovery by the hatchery permit holder, the commissioner may, after consultation with the hatchery operator, by emergency order, open a joint common property and cost recovery special assessment fishery for chum salmon as specified in AS 16.10.455 from June 15 through July 31 to occur only in the waters of Section 12-A south of 57° 27.00' N. lat., north of 57° 01.00' N. lat., and west of a line from 57° 27.00' N. lat., 134° 45.50' W. long. to 57° 01.00' N. lat., 134° 41.50' W. long.(g) The waters of the Hidden Falls Terminal Area that are north and west of a line from ADF&G regulatory markers located at 57° 13.17' N. lat., 134° 51.86' W. long. to 57° 13.08' N. lat., 134° 52.02' W. long. and north of a line from 57° 13.05' N. lat., 134° 52.24' W. long. to 57° 13.06' N. lat., 134° 52.20' W. long. are closed to commercial salmon fishing, other than hatchery cost recovery fishing.Eff. 6/25/89, Register 110; am 4/23/94, Register 130; am 6/28/97, Register 142; am 3/11/2001, Register 157; am 7/26/2003, Register 167; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 7/13/2012, Register 203; am 7/1/2015, Register 214, July 2015Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251
AS 16.10.455