Title 5 . Fish and Game

Chapter 1 . Transportation, Possession and Release of Live Fish; Aquatic Farming

Section 249. Yukon River Drainage Fall Chum Salmon Management Plan

5 AAC 01.249. Yukon River Drainage Fall Chum Salmon Management Plan

The objective of this management plan is to ensure adequate escapement of fall chum salmon into the Yukon River drainage and to provide management guidelines to the department. The department shall implement this plan from July 16 through December 31 each year, as follows:

(1) the department shall use the best available data, including preseason projections, mainstem river sonar passage estimates, test fisheries indices, subsistence and commercial fishing reports, and fish passage estimates from escapement monitoring projects to assess the run size of chum salmon;

(2) when the projected run size is 300,000 chum salmon or less, the commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the

(A) commercial, sport, and personal use directed chum salmon fisheries; and

(B) subsistence directed chum salmon fisheries, except that if indicators suggest that an individual escapement goal in a subdistrict, district, or a portion of a subdistrict or district will be achieved, the commissioner may, by emergency order, open a subsistence directed chum salmon fishery in that subdistrict, district or portion of that subdistrict or district;

(3) when the projected run size is more than 300,000, but not more than 500,000 chum salmon, the

(A) targeted drainagewide minimum escapement goal is 300,000 chum salmon;

(B) commissioner shall, by emergency order, close the commercial, sport, and personal use directed chum salmon fisheries, except that if indicators suggest that an individual escapement goal and identified subsistence needs in a subdistrict, district, or portion of a subdistrict or district will be achieved, the commissioner may, by emergency order, open a sport or personal use fishery in that subdistrict, district, or portion of that subdistrict or district; and

(C) department shall manage the subsistence chum salmon directed fisheries to achieve the targeted drainagewide escapement goal, except that if indicators suggest that an individual escapement goal in a subdistrict, district, or a portion of a subdistrict or district will be achieved, the commissioner may, by emergency order, open a less restrictive subsistence directed chum salmon fishery in that subdistrict, district, or portion of the subdistrict or district;

(4) when the projected run size is more than 500,000 chum salmon, the

(A) targeted drainagewide escapement goal is 300,000 or more chum salmon;

(B) commissioner may, by emergency order, open a

(i) subsistence fishery according to the fishing seasons and periods specified in 5 AAC 01.210(c) - (h) and 5 AAC 05.367; and

(ii) personal use fishery and sport fishery to allow the retention of chum salmon; and

(C) if indicators suggest that an individual escapement goal and identified subsistence needs in a subdistrict, district, or a portion of a subdistrict or district will be achieved, the commissioner may, by emergency order, open a commercial fishery in that subdistrict, district, or portion of that subdistrict or district;

(5) in addition to the fisheries specified in (4) of this section, when the projected run size is more than 600,000 chum salmon, the commissioner may, by emergency order, open a drainagewide commercial fishery with the targeted harvest of the surplus above 600,000 chum salmon distribution by district or subdistrict proportional to the guideline harvest range established in 5 AAC 05.365; the department shall distribute the harvest levels below the low end of the guideline harvest range by district or subdistrict proportional to the midpoint of the guideline harvest range;

(6) for management of the Toklat River salmon stocks, the Kantishna River and Subdistricts 5-A and 6-A fisheries will be managed to achieve the established spawning escapement goals and the following provisions will apply:

(A) from August 15 through May 15, the Toklat River drainage is closed to sport and subsistence fishing;

(B) in the Kantishna River, the following subsistence permit requirements will apply:

(i) from August 15 through December 31, the subsistence salmon harvest limit in the Kantishna River is 2,000 chum salmon;

(ii) from August 15 through December 31, the annual harvest limit for the holder of a Kantishna River subsistence salmon fishing permit is 450 chum salmon; until the fishery harvest limit of 2,000 chum salmon is reached, permits for additional salmon may be issued by the department;

(iii) based on an evaluation of inseason run strength indicators, the commissioner may, by emergency order, reopen the Kantishna River fall season chum salmon subsistence fishery and allow the fishery to exceed the 2,000 fall chum salmon harvest limit if indications are that the Toklat River fall chum salmon minimum escapement goals will be achieved; the commissioner will close that fishery when the commissioner determines that it is necessary for the conservation and protection of chum salmon.

History: Eff. 7/3/94, Register 130; am 3/24/95, Register 133; am 3/30/95, Register 133; am 7/12/96, Register 139; am 6/10/98, Register 146; am 6/17/2001, Register 158; am 5/19/2004, Register 170

Authority: AS 16.05.060

AS 16.05.251

AS 16.05.258