Alaska Administrative Code › Title 5 - Fish and Game › Part 1 - Commercial and Subsistence Fishing and Private Nonprofit Salmon Hatcheries › Chapter 07 - Kuskokwim Area › Article 3 - Salmon Fishery › 5 AAC 07.365 - Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Plan

Current through May 31, 2024
(a) The purpose of
				  this management plan is to provide guidelines for management of the Kuskokwim
				  River salmon fisheries that result in the sustained yield of salmon stocks
				  large enough to meet escapement goals, amounts reasonably necessary for
				  subsistence uses, and for nonsubsistence fisheries. The department shall use
				  the best available data, including preseason and in season run projections,
				  test fishing indices, age and sex composition, harvest reports, passage
				  escapement estimates, and recognized uncertainty, to assess run abundance for
				  the purpose of implementing this plan.
(b) It is the intent of the Board of
				  Fisheries that the Kuskokwim River salmon stocks shall be managed in a
				  conservative manner consistent with the Policy for the Management of
				  Sustainable Salmon Fisheries under
				  5 AAC 39.222 to meet escapement goals and the
				  subsistence priority.
(c) In the
				  king salmon fishery,
(1) when the projected
				  escapement of king salmon is below the drainagewide escapement goal range, the
				  commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the commercial, sport, and
				  subsistence king salmon fisheries;
(2) when the projected escapement of king
				  salmon is within the drainagewide escapement goal range, the commissioner shall
				  open and close fishing periods, by emergency order, as follows:
(A) the commissioner shall close, by
				  emergency order, the commercial, sport, and subsistence king salmon fisheries,
				  and after June 11, to the extent practicable, the commissioner shall open, by
				  emergency order, at least one fishing period per week for a directed
				  subsistence king salmon fishery to provide harvest opportunity on surplus king
				  salmon in excess of escapement needs
(B) after June 11, fishing may be opened for
				  commercial and sport fisheries to provide harvest opportunity on surplus king
				  salmon in excess of escapement and subsistence needs;
(C) notwithstanding (c)(2)(A) of this
				  section, before June 12 the commissioner shall open by emergency order, at
				  least one subsistence fishing period per week with four-inch or smaller mesh
				  gillnets; the gillnet may only be operated as a set gillnet and no part of the
				  set gillnet may be more than 100 feet from the ordinary high water mark;
(3) when the projected
				  escapement of king salmon exceeds the drainagewide escapement goal range,
(A) the commissioner shall close, by
				  emergency order, the commercial, sport, and subsistence king salmon fisheries,
				  and after June 11, the directed subsistence king salmon fishery will be open
				  seven days per week; and
(B) after
				  June 11, the commercial and sport fisheries will be managed to provide harvest
				  opportunity on surplus king salmon in excess of escapement and subsistence
				  needs.
(C) notwithstanding
				  (c)(3)(A) of this section, before June 12 the commissioner shall open, by
				  emergency order, at least one subsistence fishing period per week with six-inch
				  or smaller mesh gillnets; the gillnet may only be operated as a set gillnet and
				  no part of the set gillnet may be more than 100 feet from the ordinary high
				  water mark;
(4)
				  notwithstanding the provisions of (2) and (3) of this subsection, if the
				  department determines there is a harvestable surplus of king salmon, the
				  commissioner may open, by emergency order, a subsistence king salmon fishery
				  during which
(A) king salmon may be taken
				  only by a person 60 years of age or older; and
(B) a person authorized to take king salmon
				  under this paragraph may not authorize a proxy to take or attempt to take king
				  salmon under
				  AS
				  16.05.405 or
				  5 AAC 01.011, but the participant may be assisted by
				  family members within the second degree of kindred; in this subparagraph.,
				  "within the second degree of kindred" has the meaning given in
				  5 AAC 92.990(a).