Title 5 . Fish and Game

Chapter 35 . Transportation, Possession and Release of Live Fish; Aquatic Farming

Section 125. Lawful gear for Registration Area A

5 AAC 35.125. Lawful gear for Registration Area A

(a) Tanner crab may be taken only with Tanner crab pots or ring nets. Tanner crab taken by other means must be returned to the water without further harm.

(b) The following Tanner crab gear limits are in effect in Registration Area A:

(1) no more than 80 Tanner crab pots may be operated from a vessel registered to fish for Tanner crab;

(2) no more than 20 Tanner crab ring nets may be operated from a vessel registered to fish for Tanner crab;

(3) when the commercial golden king crab and Tanner crab seasons are open in Registration Area A at the same time, an aggregate of no more than 80 king and Tanner crab pots may be operated from a vessel registered to fish for both king and Tanner crab;

(4) when the commercial red king crab and Tanner crab seasons are open in Registration Area A at the same time, no more than the number of pots allowed under 5 AAC 34.125 may be operated from a vessel registered to fish for both king and Tanner crab;

(5) Tanner crab ring nets may not be longlined.

(c) In Registration Area A, a Tanner crab ring net is a bag-shaped net suspended between no more than two frames. The bottom frame may not be larger in perimeter than the top frame and the maximum diameter of the ring net may not exceed six feet for a round ring net. For a ring net with a frame that is not round, the area encompassed by the larger frame may not exceed 29 square feet. The ring net web must be non-rigid and collapsible, and must lay flat so that when fishing it does not prohibit free movement of fish or shellfish across the net.

(d) In Registration Area A, a registered Tanner crab vessel may not have, at any time in the aggregate, more than the legal limit of gear on board the vessel, in the water in fishing condition, and in the water in non-fishing condition.

(e) Before February 15, 2006, in Registration Area A, pots used to take Tanner crab must have

(1) at least one-third of one vertical surface of the pot composed of not less than seven-inch stretched mesh webbing, placed on the bottom one-third of the vertical surface of the pot; or

(2) no less than four circular escape rings of four and three-quarters inch minimum inside diameter installed on the vertical plane to permit escapement of undersize Tanner crab; each vertical surface of a pot using escape rings must contain at least one escape ring of four and three-quarters inch minimum inside diameter; the lowest edge of each escape ring must be within eight inches of the top of the web bar on the pot.

(f) Beginning February 15, 2006, in Registration Area A, pots used to take Tanner crab must be rigged to permit escapement of undersize Tanner crab as follows:

(1) at least one-third of one vertical surface of a square pot, or sloping surface of a conical or pyramid pot, must be composed of not less than seven-inch stretched mesh webbing, placed on the bottom one-third of the vertical or sloping sidewall surface of the pot; or

(2) no less than four circular escape rings of four and three-quarters inch minimum inside diameter must be installed on the vertical plane of a square pot, or the sloping sidewall surface of a conical or pyramid pot; the lowest edge of each escape ring must be within eight inches of the top of the bottom web bar on the pot; one escape ring must be installed in each quadrant of the pot.

History: In effect before 1982; am 4/14/82, Register 82; am 6/30/83, Register 86; am 6/30/84, Register 90; am 7/14/85, Register 95; am 7/12/86, Register 99; am 12/14/86, Register 100; am 7/23/88, Register 107; am 9/19/90, Register 115; am 6/24/93, Register 126; am 3/15/96, Register 137; am 9/29/96, Register 139; am 8/24/2002, Register 163; am 8/14/2005, Register 175

Authority: AS 16.05.251