Opinion ID: 1405962
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Heading Rank: 1

Heading: background on the limited entry act

Text: In 1973, the Alaska legislature enacted the Limited Entry Act. AS 16.43.010-990. The legislature delegated implementation of the Act to the CFEC. AS 16.43.100. The Act recognized that commercial fishing had reached levels which have impaired or threatened to impair the economic welfare of the fisheries of the state, the overall efficiency of the harvest and the sustained yield management of the fishery resource. AS 16.43.010(b). The CFEC was required to identify impaired fisheries and designate them as distressed. AS 16.43.230. In addition, the CFEC was to limit entry into those fisheries that, although not designated as distressed, had reached levels of participation which required limitation in order to achieve the purposes of the Act. AS 16.43.240. Once the decision is reached to limit entry into a fishery, the CFEC must first establish the maximum number of permits to be issued for the fishery. For distressed fisheries, AS 16.43.240(a) provides that the maximum number shall be the highest number of units of gear fished in that fishery during any one of the four years immediately preceding January 1, 1973. The Act does not provide guidelines for setting the maximum number for non-distressed fisheries. Having set the maximum number, the CFEC is to adopt regulations establishing qualifications for ranking applicants for entry according to the degree of hardship they would suffer by exclusion from the fishery. AS 16.43.250. The CFEC has adopted point systems for each of the limited fisheries for this purpose. In addition, AS 16.43.250(b) requires the CFEC to designate priority classifications of those who would suffer significant economic hardship by exclusion from the fishery. These persons may not be denied an entry permit even if the maximum number of permits must be exceeded to accommodate them. AS 16.43.240. Finally, the CFEC is to establish an optimum number of permits for each fishery which may be greater or less than the number of permits that have been actually issued for the fishery. AS 16.43.290. If the optimum number exceeds the issued permits, the state must issue additional permits under a method which assures the receipt of fair market value. AS 16.43.330. If the optimum number is less than the permits issued the state is to buy back the number of permits required to reach the optimum number. AS 16.43.310-20. [1]