5 AAC 34 — King Crab Fishery (Article 1 to 14)

(a) In addition to the requirements of 5 AAC 39.120 and unless otherwise specified in this chapter, the vessel owner, or the owner's agent, shall validly register a king crab vessel for a king crab registration area before using that vessel to take king crab in that registration …

(a) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter and (b) of this section, within 24 hours before a season opening or at any time during the open season before taking or processing king crab, a king crab vessel registered for a registration area must have its holds or live tanks ins…

(a) Except as provided in (b) of this section, a king crab vessel must land all king crab in the registration area for which it is validly registered at the time of the landing. (b) The owner, or the owner's agent, of a king crab vessel validly registered for a registration area …

(a) A vessel used to tender king crab for a vessel validly registered to take king crab may not have king crab gear or equipment on board the tendering vessel and may not use that vessel to take king crab. (b) Before engaging in any tendering operation, the operator of a tenderin…

Within five days following the closure of a king crab registration area or portion of a registration area, the holder of a valid CFEC interim use or limited entry permit, or the vessel owner, or the owner's agent, of a king crab vessel that was validly registered for that area, m…

(a) Pursuant to the procedures set out in 5 AAC 34.035, the commissioner may close a registration area for certain species of king crab. (b) Unless otherwise specified in 5 AAC 34, after 24 hours following the closure of any registration area for specified species of king crab, n…

In areas where the commissioner is authorized to open the season by emergency order, the commissioner may delay the opening beyond the earliest date specified in the regulations if he finds that such delay would affect preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general …

Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, (1) king crab may be taken only with king crab pots; king crab taken by other means must be returned to the water without further harm; (2) a king crab pot is a pot that is no more than 10 feet long by 10 feet wide by 42 inches high wit…

(a) At least one buoy on each king crab pot or ring net must be legibly marked with the permanent ADF&G vessel license plate number of the king crab vessel operating the gear. The buoy must bear only the number of the vessel used in operating the gear. The number shall be painted…

(a) Unless otherwise specified in this chapter, during the closed season for king crab in a registration area, king crab pots must be removed from the water, except rectangular king crab pots with all bait and bait containers removed and all doors secured fully open, and cone or …

Unless otherwise specified in 5 AAC 31 - 5 AAC 38, (1) a person or vessel that operates commercial, subsistence, personal use, or sport pots, during the 14 days immediately before the opening of a commercial king crab season in a king crab registration area, may not participate i…

The owner or operator of a vessel used in the processing of king crab must obtain a permit from the department before starting processing operations. The permit must contain the following requirements: (1) reporting of vessel location to the department; (2) reporting of harvestin…

(a) The department may issue, under the provisions of this section, a permit for Registration Area O, Q, or T to a person or vessel to recover (1) lost king crab pot gear belonging to another vessel or person; or (2) king crab pot gear for a vessel that has experienced a major me…

(a) Male king crab seven inches (178 mm) or greater in width of shell may be taken or possessed, unless otherwise provided in 5 AAC 34. (b) Width measurement of king crab shall be the straight-line distance across the carapace at a right angle to a line midway between the eyes to…

Male king crab less than minimum size and female king crab may not be taken or possessed. Such king crab which have been taken must be immediately returned unharmed to the sea. Notes 5 AAC 34.065 In effect before 1981; am 6/28/81, Register 78 Authority:AS 16.05.251(a)

(a) Each king crab fisherman shall indicate on the fish ticket at the time of landing any king crab harvested which are not purchased by the processor or buyer, or which have been dumped at sea. (b) Each buyer of king crab shall indicate on the fish ticket any king crab which was…

The department shall establish an annual harvest strategy for each king crab stock which is consistent with the board's policy statement on king crab resource management, 90-04-FB, March 23, 1990, hereby adopted by reference. If adequate data are available, the department shall e…

In this chapter, "rigid," as applied to king crab pot tunnel eye openings, means that after placing 20 pounds of pressure, in any direction, anywhere around the perimeter of the tunnel eye opening, the opening is no larger than a maximum dimension allowed under this chapter. Note…

(a) Male king crab of the species Lithodes couesimay be taken in Registration Areas K, M, O, Q, and T only under the conditions of a permit issued by the commissioner. (b) Lithodes couesimay be taken only with pots as follows: (1) in Registration Areas K and M, (A) pots may be lo…

Registration Area A has as its southern boundary the International Boundary at Dixon Entrance, and as its northern boundary a line extending seav.rard from the \vestern tip of Cape Fairweather at 58° 47.89' N. lat., 137° 56.68' W. long. to the intersection \Vi th the seaward limi…

Registration Area A districts are described in 5 AAC 33.200. Notes 5 AAC 34.105 In effect before 1986; am 12/14/86, Register 100; am 11/6/96, Register 140 Authority:AS 16.05.251

(a) Upper Northern Area: all waters of Section 11-A, the waters of District 12 north of East Point at 57° 48.34' N. lat., 134° 57.01' W. long., to 57° 48.34' N. lat, 134° 48.65' W. long., and west of a line from 57° 48.34' N. lat., 134° 48.65' W. long., and north of a line at 57°…

(a) Repealed 2/22/2015. (b) The waters of District 11 in (1) Taku Inlet: all waters north of the latitude of Point Bishop at 58° 12.05' N. lat.; (2) Port Snettisham: all waters east of a line from Point Styleman at 57° 58.44' N. lat., 133° 53.88' W. long. to Point Anmer at 57° 56…

(a) Registration Area A is an exclusive registration area. (b) Notwithstanding 5 AAC 34.005(b) and 5 AAC 34.020(e), a vessel registered for Registration Area A may also be used to take king crab in Registration Area D if the vessel owner, or the owner's agent, has had the registr…

(a) Male red king crab may only, be taken from 10:00 a.m. November 1 through January 24. (b) Male golden king crab may only be taken from 10:00 a.m. on the date following the largest Juneau tidal range between February 10 and February 17, as announced by emergency order, through …

(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 Ju…

Notwithstanding the provisions of 5 AAC 34.060 and 5 AAC 34.065, all king crab, male, female, and sub-legal, that have the barnacle parasite Briarosaccus callosusor a scar of the parasite under the flap, may be taken for commercial sale during open commercial fishing seasons. The…

(a) The commissioner may, by emergency order, open the Southeast Alaska red and blue king crab fishery only if the department's preseason biomass estimate of legal male red and blue king crab equals at least 50 percent of the median biomass estimate of legal males. (b) If the com…

(a) The Southeast Alaska golden king crab fishery shall be managed consistently with the board's Policy on King and Tanner Crab Resource Management(90-04-FB, March 23, 1990), adopted by this reference, and according to the principles set out in this section. (b) To the extent pos…

(a) Repealed 6/24/93. (b) In Registration Area A, the guideline harvest ranges for the taking of golden king crab in the following areas are as follows: (1) Upper Northern Area: 0 - 81.000 pounds; (2) Lower Northern Area: 0 - 64,000 pounds; (3) Icy Strait Area: 0 - 55,000 pounds;…

(a) Male king crab. seven inches or greater in carapace width. may be taken in Registration Arca A in the exclusive economic zone only under the conditions of a pcnnit issued by the commissioner. (b) The permit required in this section:(1) may specify season dates; (2) may specif…

In Registration Area A, only male king crab seven inches or greater in width of shell may be taken or possessed, except that (1) male king crab less than seven inches in width of shell may be transported through or into the registration area for the purpose of delivery to a proce…

(a) King crab may be taken only by king crab pots, except that golden king crab taken in Tanner crab pots as described in 5 AAC 35.125(f) may be retained if the CFEC permit holder fishing for Tanner crab is also registered to fish for golden king crab and both crab fisheries are …

(a) Notwithstanding 5 AAC 34.051(c), identification tags will he issued to the ' FEC permit holder, instead of the vessel owner, at the time of vessel registration. The permit holder, or the permit holder's agent, shall apply for identification tags at a department office designa…

Notwithstanding 5 AAC 34.052, king crab pots with all bait and bait containers removed and all doors secured fully open may be stored in the water only (1) for seven days following the season closure for king crab in Registration Area A; (2) for five days following the season clo…

(a) A person or vessel that operates commercial, subsistence, personal use, or sport pots or ring nets, other than commercial shrimp pots or Dungeness crab pots, during the 30 days immediately before the scheduled opening date of the commercial king crab season in Registration Ar…

(a) In Registration Area A, during a king crab season, an operator of a vessel registered to fish in the commercial king crab fishery shall complete logbooks provided by the department. (b) Logbooks described in (a) of this section shall be (1) updated daily; (2) sealed in envelo…

(a) If an inspection is required under (c) of this section, Registration Area A inspection points are located at Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, and Juneau or at other locations specified by the department. (b) Unless required under (c) of this section, king crab vessel i…

In addition to the reporting requirements in 5 AAC 39.130 and 5 AAC 34.075, the commissioner may require an owner or operator of a vessel validly registered to fish in the commercial king crab fishery in Registration Area A to report to a local representative of the department th…

(a) The following waters of Section 11-A are closed to the taking of red king crab: (1) the waters north of a line from Marmion Island Light to the easternmost tip of Point Salisbury at 58º 12.50' N. lat., 134º 13.75' W. long., and enclosed by a line from Outer Point on Douglas I…

Within 24 hours following the closure of Registration Area A to the taking of a specified species of king crab, all vessels with that species on board must arrive at a processing facility and remain until offloading of crab is complete, unless the vessel is otherwise in complianc…

Registration Area D has as its western boundary the longitude of Cape Suckling (144° W. long.), and as its southern boundary a line extending seaward from the western tip of Cape Fairweather at 58° 47.89' N. lat., 137° 56.68' W. long. to the intersection with the seaward limit of…

Registration Area D districts are described in 5 AAC 30.200. Notes 5 AAC 34.165 Eff. 12/14/86, Register 100; am 11/6/96, Register 140 Authority:AS 16.05.251

(a) Registration Area D is an exclusive registration area. (b) Notwithstanding 5 AAC 34.005(b) and 5 AAC 34.020(e), a vessel registered for Registration Area D may also be used to take king crab in Registration Area A if the vessel owner, or the owner's agent, has had the registr…

(a) Male red king crab may be taken only from 12:00 noon October 24 through December 31. (b) Male golden king crab may be taken only under the conditions of a permit issued bv the commissioner. (c) Male blue king crab may be taken only from 12:00 noon October 24 through December …

In Registration Area D, the guideline harvest range for the taking of red and blue king crab is 0 - 20,000 pounds. Notes 5 AAC 34.175 Eff. 12/14/86, Register 100; am 11/6/96, Register 140; am 8/14/2005, Register 175 Authority:AS 16.05.251

The size limits for king crab in Registration Area D are the same as those described for king crab in Registration Area A in 5 AAC 34.120. Notes 5 AAC 34.180 Eff. 12/14/86, Register 100; am 11/6/96, Register 140 Authority:AS 16.05.251