5 Alaska Admin. Code § 01.320

Current through April 27, 2024
Section 5 AAC 01.320 - Lawful gear and gear specifications
(a) Within any district, salmon, herring, and capelin may be taken only by drift and set gillnets.
(b) Outside the boundaries of any district and within the Naknek, Alagnak, and Wood River special harvest areas, salmon may only be taken by set gillnet, except that salmon may also be taken by dip nets in the waters described in 5 AAC 01.310(d) if fishing other than from a vessel, and salmon may also be taken as follows:
(1) in the Togiak River,
(A) excluding its tributaries, by spear;
(B) between the mouth of the river and upstream approximately two miles to a line across the river at 59° 05.50' N. lat., by a drift gillnet that is not more than 10 fathoms in length;
(2) from August 30 through December 31, by spear, dip net, beach seine, and gillnet
(A) along the west shore of Naknek Lake near the outlet to the Naknek River between a line from 58° 41.10' N. lat., 156° 25.84' W. long. to 58° 40.99' N. lat., 156° 25.46' W. long. upstream to a line from 58° 41.36' N. lat., 156° 25.81' W. long. to 58° 41.13' N. lat., 156° 25.85' W. long.;
(B) at Johnny's Lake on the northwestern side of Naknek Lake;
(C) at the outlet of Idavain Creek on the north side of Naknek Lake;
(3) from September 18 through December 31, by spear, dip net, beach seine, and gillnet at the mouth of Brooks River at Naknek Lake; and
(4) at locations and times specified in (2) and (3) of this subsection,
(A) a gillnet may not exceed five fathoms in length and may not be anchored or tied to a stake or peg; and
(B) the permit holder must be present at the net while the net is being fished;
(5) by spear in Lake Clark, excluding its tributaries;
(6) by gillnet and beach seine in Iliamna Lake, Six Mile Lake, and Lake Clark;
(7) by, dip net in the Igushik, Weary, and Snake Rivers upstream of the commercial fishing district; a dip net may not be operated from a vessel.
(c) Except as specified in (b) of this section, the maximum lengths for gillnets and beach seines used to take salmon are as follows:
(1) set gillnets may not exceed 10 fathoms in length in
(A) the Naknek, Egegik, and Ugashik Rivers;
(B) the Nushagak District during the emergency order subsistence openings described in 5 AAC 01.310(b);
(C) all waters of Nushagak Bay upstream of a line from a point approximately two miles south of Bradford Point at 58° 58.63' N. lat., 158° 33.62' W. long. to Snag Point at 59° 03.18' N. lat., 158° 25.59' W. long.;
(D) repealed 5/31/98;
(2) in the remaining waters of the Wood River and Nushagak River not described in (c)(1)(C) of this section, set gillnets may not exceed 25 fathoms in length;
(3) beach seines may not exceed 25 fathoms in length.
(d) No part of a set gillnet may be operated within 300 feet of any part of another set gillnet, except that
(1) in the Nushagak District from a point approximately two miles south of Bradford Point at 58° 58.63' N. lat., 158° 33.62' W. long., to Snag Point at 59° 03.18' N. lat., 158° 25.59' W. long., no part of a set gillnet may be operated within 100 feet of any part of another set gillnet;
(2) on the north shore of the Naknek River, from an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately 300 feet upstream from the north commercial fishing section boundary marker to an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately 1,300 feet upstream from the north commercial fishing section boundary marker, no part of a set gillnet may be operated within 100 feet of any part of another set gillnet;
(3) in the Naknek River Special Harvest Area described in 5 AAC 06.360(b), when it is open to commercial set gillnet gear, no part of a set gillnet may be operated within 150 feet of any part of another set gillnet; when the Naknek-Kvichak District reopens to commercial set gillnet gear, the 300-foot restriction for subsistence set gillnets in this subsection will apply in the Naknek River Special Harvest Area.
(e) A set gillnet may not obstruct more than one-half the width of a stream and any channel or side channel of a stream.
(f) Each set gillnet must be staked and buoyed. Instead of complying with 5 AAC 01.010(h), a subsistence fisherman may plainly and legibly inscribe that person's first initial, last name, and subsistence permit number on a sign at or near the set gillnet.
(g) No person may operate or assist in operating subsistence salmon net gear while simultaneously operating or assisting in operating commercial salmon net gear.
(h) Fish, other than salmon, herring, capelin, and halibut, may be taken by gear listed in 5 AAC 01.010(a) unless restricted under the terms of a subsistence fishing permit.
(i) Herring spawn on kelp may be taken only by hand picking and hand operated rakes.
(j) During closed commercial herring fishing periods gillnets used for the subsistence taking of herring or capelin may not exceed 25 fathoms in length.
(k) Halibut may be taken only with a single hand-held line with no more than two hooks attached.
(l) Subsistence fishing by the use of a hook and line attached to a rod or pole is prohibited, except when fishing through the ice.

5 AAC 01.320

In effect before 1982; am 4/14/82, Register 82; am 4/16/83, Register 86; am 4/2/88, Register 105; am/readopt 5/15/93, Register 126; am 4/14/95, Register 134; am 5/14/98, Register 146; am 5/31/98, Register 146; am 6/17/2001, Register 158; am 6/22/2001, Register 158; am 3/30/2007, Register 181; am 8/23/2009, Register 191; am 4/9/2010, Register 194; am 4/16/2016, Register 218, July 2016; am 5/31/2019, Register 230, May 2019; am 4/16/2023, Register 246, July 2023

Authority:AS 16.05.251

AS 16.05.258