5 AAC 29.050. Management of salmon troll fisheries in the Southeastern Alaska-Yakutat Area

(a) The management of the Southeastern Alaska-Yakutat Area king and coho salmon troll fisheries is complex because of mixing of the salmon stocks and fishing effort placed upon those salmon stocks by the subsistence, commercial, and sport fishing user groups. The Board of Fisheries (board) is concerned that some user groups, particularly those who traditionally fish the final interception waters for spawning king and coho salmon and the inshore waters, may have reduced opportunities to take king and coho salmon because of increasing fishing effort by the salmon power troll fleet on mixed stocks of those species of salmon in coastal and offshore waters. The board is also concerned that continued increases in fishing effort on mixed king and coho salmon stocks may result in overharvest of individual salmon stocks and that individual stock escapements to specific streams in this case may not be of a sufficient level to maintain a sustained yield of those stocks. Because of the above concerns, the board has adopted regulations that control the time, area of operation, and efficiency of the salmon power and hand troll fisheries.

(b) The board recognizes that changes in size and timing of the king and coho salmon runs and changes in the distribution of fishing effort by the hand and power troll fleet may require inseason adjustments to salmon fishing seasons, periods, and open and closed waters to allow king and coho salmon to escape the coastal and offshore fisheries and move into the inshore terminal fishing waters.

(c) Before 1981, the commercial salmon troll fishing season was year around with a winter season of October 1 through April 14 and a summer season of April 15 through September 30. Since 1981, the opening of the summer season has been delayed by one month to an opening date of May 15 to provide for a three-cycle king salmon rebuilding program. Additional delays in the opening of the summer salmon troll season have been instituted in an effort to spread the king salmon harvest throughout the season. In 1992, the start of the winter salmon troll fishery was delayed until October 11 to provide additional fish for the summer salmon troll season.

(d) It is the goal of the board to restore the king salmon stock to a level that will allow a return to the pre-1981 season dates.

History: Eff. 10/1/98, Register 147; am 7/26/2003, Register 167

Authority: AS 16.05.251

Editor's note: Before Register 147, Oct. 1998, the substance of 5 AAC 29.050 was contained in former 5 AAC 33.363(a)-(c). The history note for 5 AAC 29.050 does not reflect the history of the provision before Register 147, Oct. 1998.

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