Alaska Administrative Code

The regulations in this chapter regarding lingcod fishing also apply in the adjoining waters of the exclusive economic zone. Notes 5 AAC 28.085 Eff. 7/25/95, Register 135 5 AAC 28.085 took effect 7/25/95, Register 135, as an emergency regulation. In reviewing the "permanent" regu…

(a) In addition to the provisions of this chapter and the reporting requirements specified in 5 AAC 39.130, and notwithstanding any contrary provisions of this chapter, the commissioner may open and close, by emergency order, a parallel groundfish fishery during which area closur…

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, in managing the parallel groundfish fisheries, the commissioner may open and close, by emergency order, fishing seasons during which area closures, gear restrictions, vessel size limits, reporting, monitoring, and enforcement re…

Notes 5 AAC 28.089 Eff. 9/3/97, Register 143; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 3/14/2009, Register 189; am 4/21/2011, Register 198; am 5/1/2011, Register 198; repealed 6/1/2013, Register 206 State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is…

(a) A validly registered king crab fishing vessel may not be used to take groundfish with pots in an area closed to the taking of king crab. (b) A validly registered shrimp trawl vessel may not be used to take groundfish with trawls in an area closed to the taking of shrimp with …

No person may take or possess for commercial purposes any species of halibut (genus Hippoglossus) in a manner inconsistent with the regulations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Notes 5 AAC 28.092 Eff. 7/30/89, Register 111 Authority:AS 16.05.251 State regulations …

The Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area consists of all waters of Alaska described in 5 AAC 39.975(13) east of 144º W. long., and to the extent provided in 5 AAC 28.010, waters of the adjacent exclusive economic zone east of 144º W. long. Notes 5 AAC 28.100 Eff. 7/30/89, Register 111; am…

(a) Southeast District: all waters described in 5 AAC 28.100. (1) Southern Southeast Inside (SSEI) Subdistrict: All waters of Dixon Entrance, Clarence Strait, Ernest Sound, Behm Canal, Bradfield Canal, Sumner Strait, Cordova Bay, Tlevak Strait, Bucarelli Bay, Gulf of Esquibel, Da…

(a) The Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area is a nonexclusive registration area for Pacific cod: notwithstanding 5 AAC 28.020(a), before a person uses a vessel to operate gear to take Pacific cod in a directed Pacific cod fishery in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, the vessel owner or th…

(a) In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, sablefish may be taken only as follows: (1) in the Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict, from 8:00 a.m. August 15 until 12:00 noon November 15; (2) in the Southern Southeast Inside Subdistrict, from 8:00 a.m. June 1 until 12:00 noon Novemb…

(a) In the Southeast District, demersal shelf rockfish may be taken in a management area and in the directed fishery only as follows: (1) in the Southeast Outside Subdistrict, from January 5 until the day before the start of the commercial halibut season, or until the annual dire…

In the waters of Alaska in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, flatfish (flounder and sole) may be taken by trawl only as follows: (1) in waters of Sumner Strait north and east of a line from Mitchell Point to Point St. John, west of a line from the tip of Low Point to the tip of Po…

(a) In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, lingcod may be taken at any time except as otherwise provided in this chapter or when closed by emergency order. (b) Lingcod may be taken in a directed lingcod fishery only from May 16 through November 30. (c) Lingcod may be taken as bycatc…

Notes 5 AAC 28.114 Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130; repealed 6/15/97, Register 142 State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be…

In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, Pacific cod may be taken from January 1 through December 31, unless otherwise provided in this chapter or closed by emergency order. Notes 5 AAC 28.115 Eff. 7/13/2012, Register 203 Authority:AS 16.05.251 State regulations are updated quarterly;…

In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, black rockfish may be taken from January 1 through December 31, unless otherwise provided in this chapter or closed by emergency order. Notes 5 AAC 28.116 Eff. 7/13/2012, Register 203 Authority:AS 16.05.251 State regulations are updated quarter…

(a) In the Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict and Southern Southeast Inside Subdistrict, sablefish may be taken only with longlines and pots. (b) In the Southeast District, a longline vessel may have aboard or use for taking bait a gillnet with mesh size of not over two and on…

(a) Groundfish incidentally taken by hand and power troll gear operated to take salmon consistent with applicable state laws and regulations are legally taken and possessed, except that lingcod may be taken under this subsection only from May 16 through November 30. Notwithstandi…

(a) In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, a vessel fishing for groundfish with dinglebar troll gear must display the letter "D" and a vessel fishing for groundfish with mechanical jigging machines must display the letter "M" (1) on both sides of the hull, cabin, or mast; (2) in sym…

(a) The waters of Sitka Sound that are enclosed on the north by lines from Kruzof Island at 57° 20.50' N. lat., 135° 45.17' W. long. to Chichagof Island at 57° 22.05' N. lat., 135° 43' W. long., and from Chichag of Island at 57° 22.58' N. lat., 135° 41.30' W. long. to Baranof Isl…

(a) In the Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict, the department will set the annual guideline harvest limit for the taking of sablefish based on information available to the department, including estimates of sablefish biomass. (b) In the Southern Southeast Inside Subdistrict, t…

In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, the department shall annually allocate the harvest in the lingcod commercial and sport fisheries as follows: (1) Icy Bay Subdistrict: (A) 46 percent to the directed commercial lingcod fishery; (B) 12.67 percent to the commercial longline fisher…

(a) The operator of a vessel taking sablefish in the Northern or Southern Southeast Inside Subdistricts shall, before taking sablefish in another area, unload all sablefish taken in either subdistrict and submit a completed fish ticket to the department. (b) The operator of a fis…

(a) In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, a CFEC permit holder fishing for groundfish or halibut must retain, weigh, and report all rockfish and thornyhead rockfish caught. Except as provided in (b) of this section, all demersal shelf rockfish in excess of 10 percent, round weight,…

In the Northern and Southern Southeast Inside Subdistricts, a trawl vessel may not land or have on board more than 20,000 pounds (round weight) of flatfish (flounder and sole) in any seven-day period. Notes 5 AAC 28.172 Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130 Authority:AS 16.05.251 State regu…

(a) In the Southeast District, a vessel fishing for (1) halibut with longline gear may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of the allowable bycatch limit specified in the first emergency order of the season, based on the round weight of halibut on board the vessel, as fol…

In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, spiny dogfish may be taken and retained only as follows: (1) in the Southeast District, a longline vessel may retain spiny dogfish as bycatch that is not more than 35 percent, by round weight, of all target species taken in the directed fishery…

(a) An operator of a vessel fishing for groundfish in the waters of Alaska in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area or in a state-managed directed fishery in the waters of the exclusive economic zone adjacent to the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area shall maintain an accurate logbook of all …

(a) Except when taken as allowable bycatch in another directed fishery, miscellaneous groundfish may be taken on an experimental basis in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area only under the conditions of a permit issued by the commissioner necessary for conservation or management purp…

(a) A vessel or a person on board a vessel may not participate in a commercial sablefish fishery in the Northern Southeast Inside Subdistrict or the Southern Southeast Inside Subdistrict if the vessel or a person on board the vessel operates commercial, subsistence, sport, or per…

The holder of a valid CFEC interim use or limited entry permit may take groundfish in the waters of Alaska in the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area for use as bait in the commercial fishery for which the permit is held as follows: (1) except for sablefish, lingcod, thornyhead, shortrak…

Notes 5 AAC 28.195 (Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130; repealed 7/12/96, Register 139) As of Register 139, 7/12/96, the substance of 5 AAC 28.195 was moved to 5 AAC 28.010 in order to apply to groundfish regulations on a statewide basis. State regulations are updated quarterly; we curre…

The Prince William Sound Area consists of the waters of Alaska bounded on the west by a line running along the longitude of Cape Fairfield at 148° 50.25' W. long., south to the latitude of Cape Douglas at 58° 51.10' N. lat., then west to 149° W. long., then south along 149° W. lo…

(a) Inside District: all waters in the Prince William Sound Area enclosed by lines from Point Whitshed to Point Bentinck, from Cape Hinchinbrook to Zaikof Point, and from Cape Cleare to Cape Puget. (b) Outside District: all waters in the Prince William Sound Area that are seaward…

(a) During a state-waters season for Pacific cod described in 5 AAC 28.267, the Prince William Sound Area is (1) an exclusive registration area for a vessel validly registered to take Pacific cod with groundfish not gear or longline gear; and (2) a nonexclusive registration area …

(a) Repealed 5/11/2003. (b) Sablefish may be taken in the Inside District beginning when the individual fishing quota halibut season opens, through December 31, unless closed earlier by emergency order. There is no open season for commercial sablefish fishing in the Outside Distr…

(a) Repealed 3/14/2009. (b) Repealed 3/14/2009. (c) Except when taken as allowable bycatch in a directed fishery, a person may take miscellaneous groundfish on an experimental basis in the Prince William Sound Area only under the conditions of a permit issued by the commissioner …

(a) Repealed 4/7/93. (b) Groundfish taken incidentally by drift gillnet gear operated for salmon consistent with applicable state laws and regulations are legally taken and possessed. (c) A groundfish pot may be attached to a line connected to another groundfish pot. Groundfish p…

(a) Following the closure of a parallel season, all groundfish pot gear must be removed from the water, except as specified in (b) of this section. (b) The owner or operator of a vessel that is registered for a state-waters season for Pacific cod described in 5 AAC 28.267 may sto…

(a) Repealed 6/7/2025. (1) within Orca Bay, east of 146º 37.50' W. long., excluding the waters of Port Gravina north of a line from Gravina Point to Red Head at 60º 40.25' N. lat., 146º 30.22' W. long.; (2) in waters not more than 75 fathoms deep within waters enclosed by a line …

Notes 5 AAC 28.260 In eff. 12/21/99 - 4/18/2000, Register 153 State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we hav…

(a) For directed walleye pollock fisheries, the Inside District of the Prince William Sound Area is divided into the following three sections: (1) Bainbridge Section: all waters of the Inside District west of 148° W. long; (2) Knight Island Section: all waters of the Inside Distr…

(a) A vessel may not land or have on board more than a combined total of 3,000 pounds (round weight) of all rockfish species within five consecutive days. (b) In the Prince William Sound Area, when fishing in a directed fishery, other than for rockfish, a CFEC permit holder must …

(a) The management plan in this section governs the harvest of Pacific cod in the Prince William Sound Area. (b) Each year the commissioner (1) shall open and close, by emergency order, a parallel season for mechanical jigging machine and hand troll gear, groundfish pot gear, and…

(a) Lingcod retained must measure at least 35 inches from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, or 28 inches from the front of the dorsal fin to the tip of the tail. Undersized lingcod shall be returned to the water immediately without further injury. No person may mutilat…

(a) After 24 hours following the closure of any directed groundfish season within the Prince William Sound Area, a vessel that participated in that fishery may not have that species of groundfish on board unless(1) that species has been designated as bycatch for another directed …

(a) Before commercial fishing for sablefish in another registration area, the operator of a vessel registered to take sablefish in the Prince William Sound Area must land all sablefish taken and submit a copy of the completed fish ticket for the landed fish to the department. (b)…

The Cook Inlet Area consists of all waters of Alaska enclosed by a line extending east from Cape Douglas (58º 51.10' N. lat.) and a line extending south from Cape Fairfield (148º 50.25' W. long.). Notes 5 AAC 28.300 Eff. 7/30/89, Register 111; am 4/4/97, Register 142; am 3/11/200…

(a) Cook Inlet District: all waters of Alaska in the Cook Inlet Area north of a line from Cape Douglas (58º 51.10' N. lat.) to Point Adam (59º 15.27' N. lat.). (b) North Gulf District: all waters of Alaska in the Cook Inlet Area north of Cape Douglas (58º 51.10' N. lat.) and west…

The Cook Inlet Area is an exclusive registration area for Pacific cod during a state-waters season described in 5 AAC 28.367. (b) In the Cook Inlet Area, before operating a vessel in a directed fishery for lingcod, pelagic shelf rockfish, sablefish, Pacific cod during a parallel …