Opinion ID: 1218078
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Interpretation of the Regulation:

Text: The Commission claims that the superior court erred in its interpretation of the regulations. We agree with Judge Stewart's interpretation. Like him, we are persuaded by the reasoning of the hearing officer that Templeton's participation in 1971 and 1972 was that of an owner and operator of gear, rather than that of a crew member, that 20 AAC 630(b)(2) is designed to govern all situations not specifically covered by the regulations proper, and that Templeton qualifies for serious consideration under section 630(b)(2). Moreover, the regulations must be read so as to be consistent with the Act. AS 16.43.010(a) sets forth the purpose of the Act: It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the conservation and the sustained yield management of Alaska's fishery resource and the economic health and stability of commercial fishing in Alaska by regulating and controlling entry into the commercial fisheries in the public interest and without unjust discrimination. [emphasis added] While a gear license may be a good general indicator of ownership and operation of gear for the purpose of weighing relative hardship, [7] to foreclose automatically consideration of special circumstances under 20 AAC 05.630(b)(2) in the absence of a gear license would result, in many cases, such as the one at bar, in unjust discrimination. The Commission was properly concerned with the problem of proliferation of gear operating in the fisheries. Unfortunately, allocating one permit between two partners [8] solely on the fortuitous circumstances of which one held the gear license in two given years does not realistically weigh the relative hardship which each partner would suffer by denial of a permit. In this case, the construction of the statutes and the regulations that the Commission suggests works at cross-purposes with the Legislature's stated intent to avoid unjust discrimination. AS 16.43.010(a). The judgment and order of the superior court are AFFIRMED. MATTHEWS, J., not participating.