Section 5 AAC 34.111 - Section 11-A Red and Blue King Crab Management and Allocation Plan(a) The Board of Fisheries (board) find that there exists strong competing demands between the personal use and commercial user groups for red and blue king crab in Section 11-A of the Southeastern Alaska Area. The board finds that personal use of red and blue king crab in the Juneau area is a historical use, that this use has grown in recent years concurrent with the growth of the king crab population in Section 11-A, and that there are both summer and winter components to the personal use fishery. The board also finds that the commercial use of red and blue king crab in Section 11-A is historical, economically important, and should be maintained.(b) When managing red and blue king crab in Section 11-A, the board authorizes the department to conduct the personal use and commercial fisheries according to the following allocation plan: (1) personal use fishery from July 1 through September 30 (summer season) - 50 percent of the red king crab guideline harvest level;(2) personal use fishery from October 1 through March 31 (winter season) - 10 percent of the red king crab guideline harvest level;(3) commercial fishery - 40 percent of the red king crab guideline harvest level when the general season is open under 5 AAC 34.110;(c) The board finds that the personal use red and blue king crab fishery should be conducted so that the summer and winter seasons last as long as possible within the allocation plan described in (b) of this section. To accomplish this objective the commissioner may close, by emergency order, a personal use red and blue king crab season and immediately reopen a personal use red and blue king crab season during which any of the following restrictions, selected at the discretion of the commissioner, are in effect: (1) the daily bag and possession limit is one male king crab per person;(2) the daily bag and possession limit is two male king crab per person;(3) no more than one pot per vessel may be used to take king crab;(4) no more than two pots per vessel may be used to take king crab;(5) no more than three pots per vessel may be used to take king crab:(6) there is a seasonal per person limit for king crab, established by the commissioner.Eff. 7/1/96, Register 138; am 8/8/99, Register 151; am 7/29/2009, Register 191Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251