Section 5.77.674. Personal use bottomfish fishery.

In the personal use taking of bottomfish,  
		(1) bottomfish may be taken at any time, except lingcod may not be taken from December 1 through May 15;  
		(2) bottomfish may be taken for personal use only by longline or hand held line; unattended gear must be marked as described in 5 AAC 77.010(d);  
		(3) there are no daily bag or possession limits, except that  
			(A) in the Sitka vicinity:  
				(i) in Sitka Sound Special Use Area, which is that area of Sitka Sound enclosed on the north by lines from Kruzof Island at 57_ 20.50' N. lat., 135_ 45.17' W. long. to Chichagof Island at 57_ 22.05' N. lat., 135_ 43' W. long., and from Chichagof Island at 57_ 22.58' N. lat., 135_ 41.30' W. long. to Baranof Island at 57_ 22.28' N. lat., 135_ 40.95' W. long., and on the south and west by a line running from the southernmost tip of Sitka Point at 56_ 59.38' N. lat., 135_ 49.57' W. long. to Hanus Point at 56_ 51.92' N. lat., 135_ 30.50' W. long. to the green day marker in Dorothy Narrows to Baranof Island at 56_ 49.28' N. lat., 135_ 22.60' W. long., the daily possession limit for rockfish is three fish, of which no more than one may be a yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus);  
				(ii) the waters off Cape Edgecumbe enclosed by a box defined as 56_ 55.5' N. lat. and 56_ 57' N. lat., and 135_ 54' W. long. and 135_ 57' W. long., are closed to fishing for all species of bottomfish;  
			(B) in the Ketchikan vicinity: in all waters of Section 1-E south of the latitude of Bushy Point Light and in the waters of Section 1-F north of lines from Point Alava to the southernmost tip of Ham Island, from Cedar Point to Dall Head, and from Dall Head to a point on the District 1 boundary in Clarence Strait at the latitude of Dall Head, the bag and possession limit for rockfish is three fish, no more than one of which may be yelloweye rockfish ( Sebastes rubberrimus);  
			(C) there is an annual limit for sablefish per household permit and a vessel limit as described in (6) of this section;  
		(4) a person on board a vessel from which a longline was used to take bottomfish for personal use in the Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict or the Southern Southeast Inside Subdistrict is subject to the restrictions in 5 AAC 28.180;  
		(5) bottomfish taken under personal use regulations may not be used as bait in a commercial fishery;  
		(6) sablefish may be taken for personal use only as follows:  
			(A) a personal use fishing permit issued by the department under 5 AAC 77.015 is required to take sablefish; the department will issue only one sablefish personal use fishing permit per household per year;  
			(B) a permit holder shall record sablefish harvest information on harvest recording forms provided by the department; there is an annual limit of 50 sablefish per household permit;  
			(C) a permit holder's longline gear  
				(i) may not have attached more than 350 hooks in the aggregate; and  
				(ii) must be marked as specified in (2) of this section;  
			(D) no more than 200 personal use sablefish may be retained on board a vessel when four or more sablefish personal use permit holders are present on board that vessel.  

Authorities

16.05.251

Notes

Reference

5 AAC 02.130
5 AAC 77.668

Authority

AS 16.05.251

History

Eff. 6/25/89, Register 110; am 4/23/98, Register 146; am 6/3/2000, Register 154; am 3/11/2001, Register 157; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 7/13/ 2012, Register 203; am 5/9/2015, Register 214