Alaska Administrative Code › Title 5 - Fish and Game › Part 1 - Commercial and Subsistence Fishing and Private Nonprofit Salmon Hatcheries › Chapter 38 - Miscellaneous Shellfish Fishery › Article 5 - Registration Area A (Southeastern Alaska) › 5 AAC 38.145 - Southeastern Alaska Red Sea Urchin Management Plan

Current through May 31, 2024
(a) The
				  requirements of this management plan apply to the commercial taking of red sea
				  urchins in Registration Area A.
(b)
				  A permit described in
				  5 AAC 38.062 is not required for the taking of red sea
				  urchins in Registration Area A.
(c)
				  The season for taking red sea urchins is from October 1 through September
				  30.
(d) Red sea urchins may be
				  taken only from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during periods established by emergency
				  order.
(e) If the commissioner
				  determines that hours different from those set out in (d) of this section will
				  contribute to law enforcement or to management of the red sea urchin fishery,
				  the commissioner may specify, by emergency order, other hours during which red
				  sea urchins may be taken.
(f) The
				  commissioner shall open fishing periods in at least 16 weeks of a season unless
				  the commissioner determines that this frequency will adversely impact
				  conservation, law enforcement, waste reduction, or development of the
				  fishery.
(g) During an open fishing
				  period for red sea urchins, no more than two licensed CFEC red sea urchin
				  permit holders may conduct fishing operations from, or land commercially
				  harvested red sea urchins from, a vessel that is licensed and registered to
				  participate in the commercial red sea urchin fishery. From 24 hours before,
				  during, and for 24 hours after a fishing period or at any time that
				  commercially harvested red sea urchins are on board the vessel, no more than
				  three licensed CFEC red sea urchin permit holders may be transported, housed,
				  quartered, or domiciled on board a vessel that is licensed and registered to
				  commercially take, transport, or process red sea urchins.
(h) Notwithstanding
				  5 AAC 38.051, red sea urchins may be taken only by hand
				  picking. A person taking red sea urchins may use a hand-held sea urchin rake or
				  an abalone iron.
(i) A person
				  diving for red sea urchins may use scuba gear, a tethered, umbilical, surface
				  supplied system, or a snorkel.
(j)
				  The commissioner shall establish, by emergency order, subdistricts for the
				  taking of red sea urchins.
(k)
				  Except as provided in (
l
) of this section, there is no size
				  limit for red sea urchins.
(l) If
				  the commissioner determines that size restrictions or trip limits will
				  contribute to conservation, law enforcement, waste reduction, or promote
				  development of the fishery, the commissioner may close, by emergency order, the
				  red sea urchin fishing season in a district or subdistrict, and reopen a season
				  in that district or subdistrict during which size restrictions or trip limits
				  are in effect.
(m) Until the roe is
				  removed by processing, a person shall keep red sea urchins taken from different
				  fishing districts or subdistricts in separate containers, and shall clearly
				  mark on each container the district or the subdistrict in which the urchins
				  were taken and the name of the diver who took the urchins. If all red sea
				  urchins on board a vessel were taken from the same district or subdistrict, no
				  marking under this subsection is required.
(n) A vessel that is used for the processing
				  of red sea urchins must carry an onboard observer as specified in
				  5 AAC 39.141 -
				  5 AAC 39.143 and
				  5 AAC 39.645 if unprocessed red sea urchins are on board
				  that vessel. The commissioner may, instead of requiring an onboard observer
				  under this section, require that the processing of red sea urchins be conducted
				  under a permit issued by the commissioner with the following conditions:
(1) each person shall keep the processed red
				  sea urchins taken from different fishing districts or subdistricts in separate
				  containers, and separate from any other person's processed red sea urchins; the
				  person shall clearly mark each container with the district or subdistrict from
				  which the urchins were taken and the name of the person who took the
				  urchins;
(2) all red sea urchins
				  must be processed on board the vessel that harvested the urchins;
(3) no more than two persons may process red
				  sea urchins on board a vessel under this subsection;
(4) a person may process only the red sea
				  urchins harvested by that person;
(5) any other conditions the commissioner
				  deems necessary for the conservation and management of an orderly
				  fishery.