Section 5 AAC 61.165 - Susitna River and Little Susitna River King Salmon Management Plan(a) The purpose of this management plan is to describe actions that may be taken by the department to better inform stakeholders of management actions on northern Cook Inlet king salmon sport fisheries. The department shall manage the Susitna River drainage king salmon stocks to achieve king salmon escapement goals by the management measures outlined in this plan.(b) The department shall manage for an optimal escapement goal of 16,000 - 22,000 king salmon on the Yentna River stock.(c) The department will release the annual outlook and management strategy, including any preseason emergency orders, for Susitna River king salmon stocks including the Deshka, Yentna, Talkeetna, and Eastside and Little Susitna River stocks, to the extent practical, by January 1, during non-board cycle years for Upper Cook Inlet Finfish.(d) If king salmon escapement goals have been achieved for a stock in the previous one to three years, and harvest as described in 5 AAC 61.110 is not projected to drop escapement below the escapement goal, sport fisheries shall be open under general regulation.(e) If king salmon escapement is projected to be near the lower bound of the escapement goal for any salmon stock specified in this section, or if harvest managed under 5 AAC 61.110 is expected to drop the department's projection of escapement below the lower bound of the goal, king salmon sport fisheries may open under catch-and-release or other restrictions to reduce harvest yet continue to provide sport fishing opportunity, if associated sport mortality is not expected to reduce escapement below the lower bound of the escapement goal.(f) If the commissioner determines additional conservation measures are necessary to achieve the escapement goals, the commissioner may, by emergency order, enact the following management measures:(1) Deshka River: annual limit reduction; bait prohibition; harvest restricted to Saturdays - Mondays implementing catch-and-release with a single hook only on other days;(2) Yentna River drainage: annual limit reduction; harvest restricted to Fridays - Mondays implementing catch-and-release with a single hook only on other days;(3) Talkeetna River drainage: annual limit reduction; harvest restricted to Saturdays - Mondays implementing catch-and-release with a single hook only on other days;(4) Eastside Susitna River drainages: annual limit reduction; close one or more weekends of fishing;(5) Little Susitna River: annual limit reduction; harvest restricted to Saturdays - Mondays, or Fridays-Mondays implementing catch-and-release with a single hook only on other days.(g) If king salmon escapement is projected to be below the applicable escapement goal for that stock, king salmon sport fishing will be closed.Eff. 6/21/2020, Register 234, July 2020Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251