In the absence of adequate stock assessment, the department
shall manage the Dungeness crab fishery in Registration Area A (Southeastern
Alaska) using a precautionary approach. When stocks are assessed to be low, the
department shall, subject to the commissioner's authority under
5
AAC 32.035, reduce the harvest of legal Dungeness crab
and reduce the handling of non-legal, light, and soft-shell Dungeness crab by
complying with the following:
(1) no
later than 14 days after the start of the summer Dungeness crab fishing season
specified in
5
AAC 32.110, the department shall establish a
projection of harvest thresholds for the season;
(2) if the department projects that the
entire season's catch of legal Dungeness crab will be
(A) 1.5 million pounds or less, the
department will close the summer Dungeness crab fishing season no sooner than
21 days after the season opened, and the fall Dungeness crab fishing season
specified in
5
AAC 32.110 will not open;
(B) more than 1.5 million pounds, but less
than 2.25 million pounds, the department will close the summer Dungeness crab
fishing season no sooner than 28 days after the season opened, and the fall
Dungeness crab fishing season will be open for 30 days;
(C) more than 2.25 million pounds, the summer
and fall Dungeness crab fishing seasons will occur as specified in
5
AAC 32.110;
(3) if the department determines that harvest
projections fail to meet the threshold for a season as described in (2)(C) of
this section due to soft-shelled crabs early in the summer Dungeness crab
fishing season, the department may open the fall Dungeness crab fishing season
as specified in
5
AAC 32.110.
