(a) Tanner crab may be taken only with Tanner
crab pots. Tanner crab taken by other means must be returned to the water
without further harm.
(b) The
following Tanner crab pot requirements are in effect in Registration Area J:
(1) to permit the escapement of undersize C.
bairdi Tanner crab, pots used to take C. bairdi Tanner crab in
(A) Registration Area J, except the Bering
Sea District, must have at least one-third of one vertical surface of the pot
composed of not less than six and three-quarter inch stretched mesh webbing or
have no less than four circular escape rings of no less than five inches inside
diameter installed on the vertical surface of the pot;
(B) the Bering Sea District must have at
least one-third of one vertical surface of the pot composed of not less than
six and one-half inch stretched mesh webbing or have no less than four circular
escape rings of no less than four and one-half inches inside diameter installed
in a manner on the vertical surface of the pot so that the bottom of a ring is
no higher on the vertical surface than the first full mesh from the bottom of
the pot; and
(2) to
permit the escapement of undersize C. opilio Tanner crab, pots
used to take C. opilio Tanner crab must have at least eight
escape rings with an inside diameter measure of no less than four inches
installed in a manner on the vertical surface of the pot so that the bottom of
a ring is no higher on the vertical surface than the first full mesh from the
bottom of the pot, with four escape rings on each of two sides of a four-sided
pot, or if the pot has no escape rings as specified in this paragraph, one-half
of one side of a four-sided pot must have a side panel composed of not less
than five and one-quarter inch stretched mesh webbing.
(c) The following pot limits are in effect in
Registration Area J:
(1) in the Kodiak
District, when the guideline harvest level for
C. bairdiTanner
crab is
(A) less than 5,000,000 pounds, an
aggregate of no more than 20 pots may be operated from a validly registered
Tanner crab vessel;
(B) at least
5,000,000 pounds, an aggregate of no more than 30 pots may be operated from a
validly registered Tanner crab vessel;
(2) in the Chignik District, an aggregate of
no more than 30 pots may be operated from a validly registered Tanner crab
vessel, except that if the guideline harvest level exceeds 2,000,000 pounds,
(A) the total number of pots allowed in the
fishery is 1,000; and
(B) the
department will establish the individual vessel pot limit, not to exceed 50
pots per vessel, by dividing the 1,000 total pot limit by the number of vessels
that register by the registration deadline specified in
5
AAC 35.506(e) (6);
(3) in the South Peninsula
District, if the
(A) guideline harvest level
is less than 2,000,000 pounds, an aggregate of no more than 20 pots may be
operated from a validly registered Tanner crab vessel;
(B) guideline harvest level is at least
2,000,000 but less than 3,000,000 pounds, an aggregate of no more than 30 pots
may be operated from a validly registered Tanner crab vessel;
(C) guideline harvest level is 3,000,000 or
more pounds, an aggregate of no more than 50 pots may be operated from a
validly registered Tanner crab vessel;
(4) repealed 9/12/2008;
(5) in the Eastern Aleutian District, the
total number of pots allowed in the fishery is 300; the department will
establish the individual vessel pot limit by dividing the 300 total pot limit
by the number of vessels that register before the season opens; no more than 50
pots per vessel is allowed.
(d) In the Bering Sea District, the tunnel
eye openings on the vertical side of a Tanner crab pot may be no more than
three inches high, except that up to 20 groundfish pots, as defined in
5
AAC 28.050(e), may be on board the
vessel that is registered for either the Bering Sea Tanner crab or Bering Sea
snow crab fisheries. Tanner and snow crab taken from these groundfish pots may
be retained.
(e) In Registration
Area J, a validly registered Tanner crab vessel may not have at any time in the
aggregate, more than the legal limit of gear on board the vessel, in the water
in fishing condition, and in the water in non-fishing condition. At the time of
the tank inspection required under
5
AAC 35.555, the gear must meet all specifications
required by this chapter and 5 AAC 39, including identification, escape
mechanisms, and mesh size requirements.
(f) For the purposes of this section,
"overall length" means the horizontal distance, rounded to the nearest foot,
between the foremost part of the stem and the aftermost part of the stern,
excluding bowsprits, rudders, outboard motor brackets, and similar fittings or
attachments.
