Author: Cassandra J. Whiteside

Publisher:

Published: 2023

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

This document provides an overview of regulations governing the Kodiak District commercial Tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi fishery including vessel registrations, gear specifications, operation of pot gear, pot storage, landing requirements, fishing hours, and inseason reporting. The Eastside, Southeast, Southwest, and Semidi Island Overlap Sections will open to commercial Tanner crab fishing at 12:00 noon January 15, 2024, unless delayed by weather. The total Kodiak District guideline harvest level (GHL) is 3.0 million pounds with 2,435,000 pounds available in the Eastside Section, 465,000 pounds available in the Southeast Section, and 100,000 pounds available in the Southwest Section; no GHL is established in the Semidi Island Overlap Section. The gear limit is 20 pots per vessel in the Eastside, Southeast, and Southwest Sections; the gear limit in the Semidi Island Overlap Section is 70 pots per vessel. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) will manage the Kodiak District commercial Tanner crab fishery using inseason catch reports. Section and subsection closures may occur before GHLs are fully harvested based on fishery performance, harvest distribution, or bycatch of nontarget crab. Participants should note that delivery requirements and postclosure pot storage requirements vary depending on the type of closure and the amount of advance notice given.