Title 5 . Fish and Game

Chapter 5 . Transportation, Possession and Release of Live Fish; Aquatic Farming

Section 360. Yukon River King Salmon Management Plan

5 AAC 05.360. Yukon River King Salmon Management Plan

(a) The objective of this management plan is to provide the department with guidelines to manage for the sustained yield of Yukon River king salmon. The department shall use the best available data, including preseason run projections, test fishing indices, age and sex composition, subsistence and commercial harvest reports, and passage estimates from escapement monitoring projects to assess the run size for the purpose of implementing this plan.

(b) The department shall manage commercial fishing as follows:

(1) the department may open a directed commercial king salmon fishery when increases in subsistence or test fishery net catches of king salmon have occurred over a seven to ten day period;

(2) the department shall manage the Yukon River commercial king salmon fishery for a guideline harvest range of 67,350 - 129,150 king salmon, distributed as follows:

(A) Districts 1 and 2: 60,000 - 120,000 king salmon;

(B) District 3: 1,800 - 2,200 king salmon;

(C) District 4: 2,250 - 2,850 king salmon;

(D) District 5:

(i) Subdistrict 5-B and 5-C: 2,400 - 2,800 king salmon;

(ii) Subdistrict 5-D: 300 - 500 king salmon; and

(E) District 6: 600 - 800 king salmon;

(3) when the projected king salmon harvest range for Districts 1 - 6 combined is below the low end harvest level from zero to 67,350 fish, the department shall allocate the commercial harvest available by percentage for each district as follows:

(A) Districts 1 and 2: 89.1 percent;

(B) District 3: 2.7 percent;

(C) District 4: 3.3 percent;

(D) Subdistricts 5-B and 5-C: 3.6 percent;

(E) Subdistrict 5-D: 0.4 percent; and

(F) District 6: 0.9 percent.

(c) A person may not sell king salmon roe taken in Subdistrict 4-A.

(d) The subsistence fishery in the Yukon River drainage will be based on a schedule to be implemented chronologically, consistent with migratory timing as the king salmon run progresses upstream. The commissioner may alter fishing periods by emergency order, if the commissioner determines that preseason or inseason run indicators indicate it is necessary for conservation purposes. The fishing periods for subsistence fishing in the Yukon River drainage will be established by emergency order as follows:

(1) Coastal District, Koyukuk River, and Subdistrict 5-D: seven days per week;

(2) Districts 1 - 3: two 36-hour fishing periods per week;

(3) District 4, and Subdistricts 5-B and 5-C: two 48-hour fishing periods per week;

(4) Subdistrict 5-A, and District 6: two 42-hour fishing periods per week; and

(5) Old Minto Area: five days per week.

(e) If inseason run strength indicates a sufficient abundance of king salmon to allow a commercial fishery, subsistence fishing shall revert to the fishing periods as specified in 5 AAC 01.210(c) - (h).

(f) The sport fishery in the Yukon River drainage will be managed to coordinate with the commercial and subsistence fisheries. Sport fishing restrictions necessary for conservation purposes will corresponded to the level of abundance of king salmon.

(g) In Subdistrict 4-A, during times when the commissioner determines that it is necessary for the conservation of chum salmon, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the commercial fish wheel fishing season and immediately reopen the season during which set gillnet gear may be used instead of a fish wheel.

History: In effect before 1982; am 4/14/82, Register 82; am 8/5/88, Register 107; am 6/14/90, Register 115; am 6/10/98, Register 146; am 4/22/99, Register 150; am 6/17/2001, Register 158; am 12/29/2002, Register 164; am 7/31/2003, Register 167; am 5/19/2004, Register 170; am 8/5/2004, Register 171

Authority: AS 16.05.060

AS 16.05.251