Section 5.21.366. Northern District King Salmon Management Plan.

	(a)  The purpose of this management plan is to ensure an adequate escapement of king salmon into the Northern District drainages and to provide management guidelines to the department. The department shall manage the Northern District king salmon stocks primarily for sport and guided sport uses in order to provide sport and guided sport fishermen with a reasonable opportunity to harvest these salmon over the entire run as measured by the frequency of inriver restrictions. The department shall manage the Northern District for the commercial harvest of king salmon as follows:  
		(1) except as specified in (8) of this section, the season will open for commercial fishing periods with the first fishing period beginning on the first Monday on or after May 25, except when May 25 falls within a closed period, in which case the season opens the next following open period and continues through June 24, unless closed earlier by emergency order;  
		(2) fishing periods are from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Mondays;  
		(3) the harvest may not exceed 12,500 king salmon;  
		(4) set gillnets may not exceed 35 fathoms in length and six inches in mesh size;  
		(5) no CFEC permit holder may operate more than one set gillnet at a time;  
		(6) no set gillnet may be set or operated within 1,200 feet of another set gillnet;  
		(7) no CFEC permit holder may set a gillnet seaward of a set gillnet operated by another CFEC permit holder;  
		(8) from May 25 through June 24, the area from an ADF&G regulatory marker located one mile south of the Theodore River to the Susitna River is open to fishing the second regular Monday period only;  
		(9) if the Theodore, Lewis, or Ivan River is closed to sport fishing, the commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the area from an ADF&G regulatory marker located one mile south of the Theodore River to the Susitna River to commercial king salmon fishing for the remainder of the fishing periods provided for under this section;  
		(10) if the Deshka River is closed to sport fishing, the commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the commercial king salmon fishery throughout the Northern District for the remainder of the fishing periods provided for under this section; and  
		(11) if the Chuitna River is closed to sport fishing, the commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the area from a point at the wood chip dock located approximately at 61_ 02.77' N. lat., 151_ 10.04' W. long., to the Susitna River to commercial king salmon fishing for the remainder of the directed king salmon fishery.  
	(b)  The commissioner may depart from the provisions of the management plan under this section as provided in 5 AAC 21.363(e).  

Authorities

16.05.060;16.05.251

Notes

Authority

AS 16.05.060 AS 16.05.251

History

Eff. 4/18/86, Register 98; am 5/14/97, Register 142; am 6/13/99, Register 150; am 6/22/2002, Register 162; am 6/11/2005, Register 174; am 6/4/2008, Register 186; em am 5/1/2009 - 8/28/2009, Register 190; am 5/21/2011, Register 198; am 5/18/2014, Register 210