Section 5.35.408. Registration Area H Tanner crab harvest strategy.

	(a)  The provisions of this section establishes the abundance thresholds for the Tanner crab fisheries in the Southern, Kamishak, and Barren Island Districts of Cook Inlet.  
	(b)  In the Southern District, the minimum stock threshold for the commercial fishery is 500,000 legal male Tanner crab. The commercial Tanner crab fishery will open only under the following conditions:  
		(1) if the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is at least 1,000,000 crab, the commercial fishery will open to harvest Tanner crab at a rate, in combination with the noncommercial fisheries, not to exceed 25 percent of the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab;  
		(2) if the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is at least 500,000, but less than 1,000,000 crab, the commercial Tanner crab fishery will open to harvest Tanner crab at a rate, in combination with the noncommercial fisheries, not to exceed 15 percent of the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab;  
		(3) the commercial fishery may not open if  
			(A) the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is below 500,000 crab;  
			(B) attainment of the guideline harvest level would cause legal male Tanner crab abundance to fall below 500,000 crab; or  
			(C) the estimated harvest capacity, calculated by the number of registered vessels multiplied by the legal pot limit, and the estimated catch rate exceeds the guideline harvest level during a commercial fishery of a minimum 12-hour duration;  
		(4) repealed 9/12/2008;  
		(5) repealed 9/12/2008.  
	(c)  In the Kamishak and Barren Islands Districts, combined, the minimum stock threshold for the commercial fishery is 700,000 legal male Tanner crab. The commercial fishery will open only under the following conditions:  
		(1) if the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is 1,400,000 crab or greater, Tanner crab may be harvested at a rate, in combination with the noncommercial fisheries, not to exceed 25 percent of the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab;  
		(2) if the abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is less than 1,400,000, but greater than 700,000 crab, Tanner crab may be harvested at a rate, in combination with the noncommercial fisheries, not to exceed 15 percent of the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab;  
		(3) the commercial fishery may not open if  
			(A) the estimated abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is below 700,000 crab;  
			(B) the attainment of the guideline harvest level would cause the abundance of legal male Tanner crab to fall below 700,000 crab; or  
			(C) the estimated harvest capacity, calculated as the number of registered vessels multiplied by the legal pot limit and estimated catch rates, exceeds the guideline harvest level for a fishery of a minimum 24-hour duration.  
	(d)  The noncommercial Tanner crab fisheries guideline harvest level may not exceed 10 percent of the recent three-year average of legal male stock abundance when legal male stock abundance is below the minimum stock threshold for a commercial fishery. The noncommercial Tanner crab fisheries will be closed  
		(1) in that portion of the Southern District east of a line from Point Pogibshi to Anchor Point, if the   
			(A) recent three-year average stock abundance of legal male Tanner crab estimated from the Kachemak Bay trawl survey is less than 100,000 Tanner crab; or  
			(B) estimated stock abundance level of legal male Tanner crab is less than 50,000 Tanner crab in any given year;   
		(2) in the Southern District west of a line from Point Pogibshi to Anchor Point and the Kamishak and Barren Islands Districts, if the   
			(A) recent three-year average stock abundance of legal male Tanner crab estimated from the Kamishak Bay trawl survey is less than 50,000 Tanner crab; or   
			(B) estimated stock abundance level of legal male Tanner crab from the Kamishak Bay trawl survey is less than 40,000 in any given year.  

Authorities

16.05.251

Notes

Authority

AS 16.05.251

History

Eff. 8/24/2002, Register 163; am 9/12/2008, Register 187; am 6/27/2014, Register 210