Section 5.47.020. General provisions for seasons and bag, possession, annual, and size limits for the salt waters of the Southeast Alaska Area.

Unless otherwise specified through an emergency order issued under AS 16.05.060, and subject to the special provisions under 5 AAC 47.021 and the provisions of 5 AAC 47.030 - 5 AAC 47.095, the following are the general provisions for the seasons and bag, possession, annual, and size limits that apply to sport fishing for finfish and shellfish in the salt waters of the Southeast Alaska Area:  
		(1) king salmon: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; must be 28 inches or greater in length; the commissioner shall establish bag, possession, and annual limits, by emergency order, as specified in 5 AAC 47.055; a harvest record is required for a nonresident as specified in 5 AAC 75.006;  
		(2) salmon, other than king salmon: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; no annual limit; no size limit; bag and possession limits, as follows:  
			(A) 16 inches or greater in length; bag limit of six fish per species; possession limit of 12 fish per species;  
			(B) less than 16 inches in length; bag and possession limit of 10 fish in combination;  
		(3) rainbow and cutthroat trout, in combination: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; bag and possession limit of two fish; no annual limit; must be no less than 11 inches and no greater than 22 inches in length;  
		(4) steelhead: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; bag limit of one fish; possession limit of two fish; must be 36 inches or greater in length; annual limit of two fish; a harvest record is required as specified in 5 AAC 75.006;  
		(5) Dolly Varden: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; bag and possession limit of 10 fish; no annual limit; no size limit;  
		(6) halibut may be taken only from February 1 - December 31; bag limit of two fish; possession limit of four fish; no annual limit; no size limit;  
		(7) lingcod: may be taken only from May 16 - November 30; bag limit of two fish; possession limit of four fish; no size limit;  
		(8) rockfish may be taken from January 1 - December 31, as follows:  
			(A) pelagic rockfish: bag limit of five fish; possession limit of 10 fish; no annual limit; no size limit;  
			(B) nonpelagic rockfish: bag limit of five fish; possession limit of 10 fish, of which only two per day and four in possession may be yelloweye rockfish; no annual limit; no size limit;  
		(9) sharks may be taken only as specified in 5 AAC 75.012;  
		(10) abalone: no open season; may not be taken or possessed;  
		(11) Dungeness and Tanner crab, in combination: Dungeness crab may be taken from January 1 - December 31; Tanner crab may be taken only from July 1 - June 15; bag and possession limit of three crab, in combination; no annual limit; only male crab may be taken; size limits, as follows:  
			(A) Dungeness crab: must be six and one-half inches or greater in shoulder width; for the purposes of this subparagraph, the shoulder width measurement of Dungeness crab is the straight-line distance across the carapace immediately anterior to the tenth anterolateral spine, not including the spines;  
			(B) Tanner crab: must be five and one-half inches or greater in carapace width;  
		(12) king crab: no open season; may not be taken or possessed;  
		(13) geoducks: no open season; may not be taken or possessed;  
		(14) razor clams: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; bag and possession limit of 10 clams; no annual limit; no size limit;  
		(15) scallops: may be taken from January 1 - December 31, as follows:  
			(A) rock scallops: bag and possession limit of five scallops; no annual limit; no size limit;  
			(B) weathervane scallops: bag and possession limit of 10 scallops; no annual limit; no size limit;  
		(16) shrimp: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; bag and possession limit of three pounds or three quarts; no annual limit;  
		(17) sablefish: may be taken from January 1 - December 31, as follows:  
			(A) resident: bag limit of four fish; possession limit of four fish; no annual limit; no size limit;  
			(B) nonresident: bag limit of four fish; possession limit of four fish; no size limit; no annual limit, except that there is an annual limit of eight fish in the waters of Chatham Strait south of the latitude of Point Couverden at 58_ 11.42' N. lat. to the latitude of Point Gardner at 57_ 01' N. lat., east of a line from Point Couverden Light to Point Augusta Light and east of a line from the southeasternmost tip of Point Hayes to the northernmost tip of Point Thatcher, including all waters of Lynn Canal south of the latitude of Little Island Light, west of a line from Little Island Light to Point Retreat Light and north of the latitude of Point Couverden at 58_ 11.42' N. lat.; a harvest record is required as specified in 5 AAC 75.006;  
		(18) other saltwater finfish and shellfish species not specified in this section: may be taken from January 1 - December 31; no bag, possession, annual, or size limits.  

Authorities

16.05.060;16.05.251

Notes

Reference

5 AAC 47.021

Authority

AS 16.05.060 AS 16.05.251

History

Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130; am 5/2/97, Register 142; am 8/16/97, Register 143; am 9/28/97, Register 143; am 5/25/2000, Register 154; am 5/19/2001, Register 158; am 6/1/2003, Register 166; am 5/31/2009, Register 190; am 6/21/2009, Register 190; am 7/29/2009, Register 191; am 10/18/2009, Register 192; am 5/11/2012, Register 202; am 7/13/ 2012, Register 203; am 6/1/2013, Register 206; am 2/23/2014, Register 209