(a) The
purpose of the management plan in this section is to provide for the biological
escapement goal requirements of spawning king salmon to the Situk-Ahrnklin
River systems. This management plan provides guidelines to the department in an
effort to preclude allocation conflicts between the various user groups of the
king salmon resource. Action points and associated ranges within the plan are
intended to be based on the current king salmon escapement goal ranges for the
Situk River system.
(b) The
biological escapement goal for the Situk River king salmon is 730 three ocean
age and older fish, with a range of 450 - 1,050 fish.
(c) The department shall manage the
commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries as follows:
(1) if the projected escapement is less than
350 three ocean age and older fish, the commissioner shall close, by emergency
order, the king salmon
(A) sport fishery in
the Situk River;
(B) subsistence,
personal use, and commercial set gillnet fisheries in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet
and Lost River; and
(C) commercial
troll fishery in the waters of Alaska bounded on the west by the seaward limit
of the three-nautical-mile territorial sea and on the north by a line extending
seaward from 59° 30.49' N. lat., 139° 46.58' W. long. (Ocean Cape) and
intersecting the three-nautical-mile limit at 59° 28.65' N. lat., 139°
51.17' W. long. and on the south by a line extending seaward from 59°
20.30' N. lat., 139° 16.50' W. long. and intersecting the
three-nautical-mile limit at 59° 18.25' N. lat., 139° 21.94' W.
long.;
(2) if the
projected escapement is 350 - 450 three ocean age or older fish the
commissioner
(A) shall, by emergency order,
close the sport fishery for king salmon in the Situk River; and
(B) may, by emergency order, implement one or
more of the following management measures for conservation purposes:
(i) establish a non-retention king salmon
season in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River set gillnet
fisheries;
(ii) close the
commercial salmon troll fishery in the waters of Alaska bounded on the west by
the seaward limit of the three-nautical-mile territorial sea and on the north
by a line extending seaward from 59° 30.49' N. lat., 139° 46.58' W.
long. (Ocean Cape) and intersecting the three-nautical-mile limit at 59°
28.65' N. lat., 139° 51.17' W. long. and on the south by a line extending
seaward from 59° 20.30' N. lat., 139° 16.50' W. long. and intersecting
the three-nautical-mile limit at 59° 18.25' N. lat., 139° 21.94' W.
long.;
(iii) restrict the weekly
fishing periods in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River set gillnet
fisheries;
(3) if the projected escapement is 451 - 730
three ocean age or older fish, the commissioner shall, by emergency order,
implement one or more of the following management measures for conservation
purposes:
(A) establish a non-retention king
salmon season in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River set gillnet
fisheries;
(B) close the commercial
salmon troll fishery in the waters of Alaska bounded on the west by the seaward
limit of the three-nautical-mile territorial sea and on the north by a line
extending seaward from 59° 30.49' N. lat., 139° 46.58' W. long. (Ocean
Cape) and intersecting the three-nautical-mile limit at 59° 28.65' N. lat.,
139° 51.17' W. long. and on the south by a line extending seaward from
59° 20.30' N. lat., 139° 16.50' W. long. and intersecting the
three-nautical-mile limit at 59° 18.25' N. lat., 139° 21.94' W.
long.;
(C) restrict the weekly
fishing periods in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River set gillnet
fisheries; and
(D) restrict the
sport harvest of king salmon in the Situk River by implementing one or more of
the following management measures:
(i) close
portions of the Situk River to sport fishing for king salmon;
(ii) establish a catch and release sport
fishery only for king salmon 28 inches or greater in length;
(4) if the projected
escapement is greater than 730 three ocean age and older fish but less than
1,050 fish, the department shall,
(A) manage
the commercial set gillnet fisheries in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River
based on the sockeye salmon run strength;
(B) manage the commercial salmon troll
fishery as specified in
5
AAC 29.100 in the waters of Alaska bounded on the west
by the seaward limit of the three-nautical-mile territorial sea and on the
north by a line extending seaward from 59° 30.49' N. lat., 139° 46.58'
W. long. (Ocean Cape) and intersecting the three-nautical-mile limit at 59°
28.65' N. lat., 139° 51.17' W. long. and on the south by a line extending
seaward from 59° 20.30' N. lat., 139° 16.50' W. long. and intersecting
the three-nautical-mile limit at 59° 18.25' N. lat., 139° 21.94' W.
long.;
(5) if the
projected escapement is greater than 1,050 three ocean age and older fish, the
department shall manage the commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries as
necessary to harvest large king salmon in excess of the biological escapement
goal range; to achieve this goal the commissioner may, by emergency order,
implement one or more of the following management measures:
(A) liberalize seasons, areas, and method and
means in the Situk River under
5
AAC 75.003(2) (A);
(B) increase the bag and possession limits
for king salmon 28 inches or greater in length, to three fish per day and six
in possession, with no annual limit;
(C) repealed 7/13/2012;
(D) manage the commercial set gillnet
fisheries in the Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River based on the sockeye
salmon run strength;
(E) in the
Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet and Lost River set gillnet fisheries, allow the use of one
additional gillnet that is no more than 20 fathoms in length and no more than
45 meshes in depth, with a mesh size of no less than seven and one-half inches,
for the directed taking of king salmon during periods when sockeye salmon may
or may not be retained.