5 AAC 21.365. Kasilof River Salmon Management Plan

(a) This management plan governs the harvest of Kasilof River salmon excess to spawning escapement needs. It is the intent of the Board of Fisheries that Kasilof River salmon be harvested in the fisheries that have historically harvested them, including the methods, means, times, and locations of those fisheries. Openings in the areas historically fished must be consistent with escapement objectives for upper Cook Inlet salmon and with the Upper Cook Inlet Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 21.363) .

(b) Achieving the lower end of the Kenai River sockeye salmon escapement goal shall take priority over not exceeding the upper end of the Kasilof River optimal escapement goal range of 150,000 to 300,000 sockeye salmon.

(1) fishing will be opened as described in 5 AAC 21.310(b) (2) for regular weekly fishing periods, as specified in 5 AAC 21.320;

(2) from the beginning of the fishing season through July 7,

(A) the commissioner may, by emergency order, open additional fishing periods or extend regular weekly fishing periods to a maximum of 48 hours of additional fishing time per week;

(B) the fishery shall remain closed for at least one continuous 48-hour period per week;

(3) beginning July 8, the set gillnet fishery in the Kasilof Section will be managed as specified in 5 AAC 21.360(c) ; in addition to the provisions of 5 AAC 21.360(c) , the commissioner may, by emergency order, limit fishing during the regular weekly periods and any extra fishing periods to those waters within one-half mile of shore, if the set gillnet fishery in the Kenai and East Forelands Sections are not open for the fishing period;

(4) after July 15, if the department determines that the Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon run strength is projected to be less than two million fish and the 300,000 optimal escapement goal for the Kasilof River sockeye salmon may be exceeded, the commissioner may, by emergency order, open fishing for an additional 24-hours per week in the Kasilof Section within one-half mile of shore and as specified in 5 AAC 21.360(c) .

(d) The personal use fishery will be managed as specified in 5 AAC 77.540(b) and (c).

(e) In addition to the provisions of 5 AAC 56 applicable to the Kasilof River, from January 1 through July 31, the guided sport fishery for early-run and late-run Kasilof River king salmon will be managed as follows:

(1) a sport fishing guide may not sport fish while a client is present or is within the sport fishing guide's control or responsibility; notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a sport fishing guide may provide assistance to a client with a disability in order to enable the client to engage in sport fishing; in this paragraph, "disability" has the same meaning given in 42 U.S.C. 12102(2)(A) and (C), as amended as of February 8, 1994;

(2) during any one day, a sport fishing guide may guide only that client or group of clients initially guided by the sport fishing guide that day; different or additional clients may not be guided;

(3) repealed 2/10/2005.

(f) The commissioner may, by emergency order, open the Kasilof River Special Harvest Area to the taking of salmon by gillnets when it is projected that the Kasilof River sockeye salmon escapement will exceed 275,000 fish. The Kasilof River Special Harvest Area is defined as those waters within one and one-half miles of the navigational light located on the south bank of the Kasilof River, excluding waters of the Kasilof River upstream of ADF&G regulatory markers located near the terminus of the river and waters open to set gillnetting under 5 AAC 21.330(b) (3)(C)(ii) and (b)(3)(C)(iii). The following apply within the special harvest area when it is open:

(1) set gillnets may be operated only within 600 feet of the mean high tide mark;

(2) a set gillnet may not exceed 35 fathoms in length;

(3) drift gillnets may not be operated in waters within 600 feet of the mean high tide mark;

(4) no more than 50 fathoms of drift gillnet may be used to take salmon;

(5) a permit holder may not use more than one gillnet to take salmon at any time;

(6) a person may not operate a gillnet outside the special harvest area when operating a gillnet in the special harvest area;

(7) there is no minimum distance between gear, except that a gillnet may not be set or operated within 600 feet of a set gillnet located outside of the special harvest area; and

(8) a vessel may not have more than 150 fathoms of drift gillnet or 105 fathoms of set gillnet on board.

(g) For the purposes of this section,

(1) "client" has the meaning given in 5 AAC 75.995;

(2) "sport fishing guide" has the meaning given in 5 AAC 75.995;

(3) "week" means a calendar week, a period of seven consecutive days beginning at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and ending at 12:00 midnight the following Saturday.

History: Eff. 4/18/86, Register 98; am 6/22/2002, Register 162; am 7/3/2002, Register 163; am 9/28/2002, Register 163; em am 7/20/2004 - 11/16/2004, Register 171; am 2/13/2005, Register 173; am 6/11/2005, Register 174

Authority: AS 16.05.060

AS 16.05.251

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