Section 5 AAC 06.355 - Bristol Bay Commercial Set and Drift Gillnet Sockeye Salmon Fisheries Management and Allocation Plan(a) The purpose of this management and allocation plan is to ensure an adequate escapement, as determined by the department, of sockeye salmon into the river systems of the Nushagak, Naknek-Kvichak, Egegik, and Ugashik Districts and to distribute, to the extent practicable, the harvestable surplus of sockeye salmon to the set and drift gillnet fisheries for the allocation percentages specified in (b) of this section. This plan also provides management guidelines to the department in an effort to preclude allocations conflicts between various users of this resource.(b) It is the intent of the Board of Fisheries (board) that Bristol Bay sockeye salmon be harvested in the traditional harvest locations and that historical sockeye salmon catches be allocated between drift and set gillnet fisheries by district. To achieve this allocation, the department shall manage, to the extent practicable, the commercial sockeye salmon fisheries to achieve the allocation percentages established in 5 AAC 06.364 (Naknek-Kvichak District), 5 AAC 06.365 (Egegik District), 5 AAC 06.366 (Ugashik District), and 5 AAC 06.367 (Nushagak District).(d) The department shall manage, subject to existing management plans, fishery openings, closures, and areas to (1) achieve adequate escapement from all segments of the run by spacing openings throughout the run and, to the extent practicable, manage for escapements to fall within the lower or upper portions of escapement goals proportional to the run size based on the preseason forecast and inscason assessment of tbc run size;(2) maintain and improve stock specific management through the use of district, subdistrict, and section openings and closures;(3) distribute fish within individual districts and subdistricts through the spacing and duration of openings;(4) reduce intensive boundary line fishing through the spacing and duration of openings;(5) reduce harvest of stocks bound for other districts, subdistricts, or sections in accordance with specific regulatory management plans.Eff. 5/14/98, Register 146; am 3/30/2007, Register 181; am 5/24/2015, Register 214, July 2015Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251