Section 5.28.230. Lawful gear for Prince William Sound Area.

	(a)  Repealed 4/7/93.  
	(b)  Groundfish taken incidentally by drift gillnet gear operated for salmon consistent with applicable state laws and regulations are legally taken and possessed.  
	(c)  A groundfish pot may not be attached to a line connected to another groundfish pot, except that in the Prince William Sound sablefish fishery groundfish pots may be connected if each end of the buoy line is marked as specified in (d) of this section.  
	(d)  At least one buoy on each groundfish pot must be legibly marked with the permanent ADF&G vessel license plate number of the vessel operating the gear. The buoy may bear only a single number - that of the vessel operating the gear. The number must be placed on the top one-third of the buoy in numerals at least four inches high, one-half inch wide, and in a color that contrasts with the color of the buoy. The buoy markings must be visible on the buoy above the water surface when the buoy is attached to the groundfish pot.  
	(e)  Repealed 4/4/97.  
	(f)  In the Prince William Sound Area, nonpelagic trawl gear may not be used to take groundfish, except that sablefish may be taken with shrimp trawl gear operated as specified in 5 AAC 31.225(b).  
	(g)  Notwithstanding (f) of this section, a person operating a vessel that is validly registered to fish for shrimp with trawls may retain a bycatch limit of groundfish taken during the shrimp fishing season. The bycatch limit that may be retained under this subsection may not exceed 10 percent of the gross weight of the shrimp landed.  
	(h)  In the Prince William Sound Area, a mechanical jigging machine used to take groundfish may not have more than  
		(1) five lines; and  
		(2) 30 hooks per line.  
	(i)  In the Prince William Sound Area, the holder of a CFEC permit in a fixed gear or net gear sablefish fishery may use groundfish pots only if two or more pots are connected as specified in (c) of this section.  

Authorities

16.05.251

Notes

Reference

20 AAC 05.220
20 AAC 05.786

Authority

AS 16.05.251

History

Eff. 7/30/89, Register 111; am 4/7/93, Register 126; am 5/22/94, Register 130; am 4/4/97, Register 142; am 5/31/98, Register 146; am 7/5/2000, Register 155; am 7/1/2006, Register 178; am 7/20/2006, Register 179; am 3/24/2012, Register 201; am 3/29/2015, Register 213