RC 2 ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME STAFF COMMENTS ON COMMERCIAL, PERSONAL USE, SPORT, AND SUBSISTENCE REGULATORY PROPOSALS FOR STATEWIDE (EXCEPT SOUTHEAST AND YAKUTAT) KING AND TANNER CRAB AND SUPPLEMENTAL ISSUES ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES MEETING ANCHORAGE, ALASKA MARCH 8–11, 2020 Revised 02/24/20 with the addition of Proposal 284 Regional Information Report No. 5J20-03 The following staff comments were prepared by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) for use at the Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) meeting, March 8–11, 2020 in Anchorage, Alaska. The comments are forwarded to assist the public and board. The comments contained herein should be considered preliminary and subject to change, as new information becomes available. Final department positions will be formulated after review of written and oral public testimony presented to the board. Acronyms and Abbreviations The following acronyms and abbreviations, and others approved for the Système International d'Unités (SI), are used without definition in the following reports by the Divisions of Commercial Fisheries, Sport Fish, and Subsistence: All others, including deviations from definitions listed below, are noted in the text at first mention, as well as in the titles or footnotes of tables, and in figure or figure captions. Weights and measures (metric) General Acronyms centimeter cm Alaska Administrative Acceptable Biological Catch ABC deciliter dL Code AAC Alaska Board of Fisheries board gram g all commonly accepted Alaska Department of Fish department hectare ha abbreviations e.g., Mr., Mrs., and Game /ADF&G kilogram kg AM, PM, etc. kilometer km all commonly accepted Amount Necessary for liter L professional titles e.g., Dr., Ph.D., Subsistence ANS meter m R.N., etc. Alaska Wildlife Troopers AWT milliliter mL at @ Biological Escapement Goal BEG compass directions: millimeter mm Central Gulf of Alaska CGOA east E Coded Wire Tag CWT Weights and measures (English) north N cubic feet per second ft3/s south S Commercial Fisheries Entry foot ft west W Commission CFEC gallon gal copyright Cook Inlet Aquaculture inch in corporate suffixes: Association CIAA mile mi Company Co. Customary and Traditional C&T Corporation Corp. nautical mile nmi Department of Natural ounce oz Incorporated Inc. Resources DNR pound lb Limited Ltd. quart qt District of Columbia D.C. Demersal Shelf Rockfish DSR yard yd et alii (and others) et al. Emergency Order EO et cetera (and so forth) etc. Guideline Harvest Level GHL Time and temperature exempli gratia Gulf of Alaska GOA day d (for example) e.g. Global Positioning System GPS degrees Celsius °C Federal Information Individual Fishing Quota IFQ degrees Fahrenheit °F Code FIC Local Area Management Plan LAMP degrees kelvin K id est (that is) i.e. hour h latitude or longitude lat or long Lower Cook Inlet LCI minute min monetary symbols Mean Low Water MLW second s (U.S.) $, ¢ Mean Lower Low Water MLLW months (tables and No Data ND figures): first three Physics and chemistry National Marine Fisheries all atomic symbols letters Jan,...,Dec Service NMFS alternating current AC registered trademark ampere A trademark National Oceanic and calorie cal United States Atmospheric Administration NOAA direct current DC (adjective) U.S. Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon NDFL hertz Hz United States of North Pacific Fishery horsepower hp America (noun) USA Management Council NPFMC U.S.C. United States hydrogen ion activity pH Optimum Escapement Goal OEG (negative log of) Code Pelagic Shelf Rockfish PSR parts per million ppm U.S. state use two-letter parts per thousand ppt, abbreviations Prince William Sound PWS (e.g., AK, WA) ‰ Prior Notice of Landing PNOL volts V Private Nonprofit Salmon watts W Hatchery PNP River Mile RM Special Harvest Area SHA Sustainable Escapement Goal SEG Trail Lakes Hatchery TLH Upper Cook Inlet UCI Western Gulf of Alaska WGOA REGIONAL INFORMATION REPORT 5J20-03 ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME STAFF COMMENTS ON COMMERCIAL, PERSONAL USE, SPORT, AND SUBSISTENCE REGULATORY PROPOSALS FOR STATEWIDE (EXCEPT SOUTHEAST AND YAKUTAT) KING AND TANNER CRAB AND SUPPLEMENTAL ISSUES ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES MEETING ANCHORAGE, ALASKA MARCH 8–11, 2020 by Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish, Research and Technical Services 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518–1565 February 2020 ABSTRACT This document contains Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff comments on commercial regulatory proposals for the Statewide King and Tanner crab meeting. These comments were prepared by the department for use at the Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, March 8–11, 2020, in Anchorage, Alaska. The comments are forwarded to assist the public and board. The comments contained herein should be considered preliminary and subject to change, as new information becomes available. Final department positions will be formulated after review of written and oral public testimony presented to the board. Key words: Alaska Board of Fisheries (board), Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department), staff comments, regulatory proposals, fisheries, commercial, personal use, sport, subsistence, shellfish, Tanner crab, king crab. This document should be cited as follows: ADF&G (Alaska Department of Fish and Game). 2020. Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff comments on commercial, personal use, sport, and subsistence regulatory proposals, for statewide (except Southeast and Yakutat) king and tanner crab and supplemental issues, Alaska Board of Fisheries meeting, Anchorage, Alaska, March 8–11, 2020. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Regional Information Report No. 5J20-03, Juneau. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) administers all programs and activities free from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. The department administers all programs and activities in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility please write: ADF&G ADA Coordinator, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811-5526 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042, Arlington, VA 22203 Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW MS 5230, Washington DC 20240 The department’s ADA Coordinator can be reached via phone at the following numbers: (VOICE) 907-465-6077, (Statewide Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) 1-800-478-3648, (Juneau TDD) 907-465-3646, or (FAX) 907-465-6078 For information on alternative formats and questions on this publication, please contact: ADF&G Division of Sport Fish, Research and Technical Services, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage AK 99518 (907) 267-2375. i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................................. i Summary of department positions on regulatory proposals for Statewide King and Tanner Crab – Anchorage, March 8–11, 2019. ................................................................................................................................................................... iv COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE – GROUP 1: PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AREA COMMERCIAL KING CRAB, COOK INLET TANNER CRAB, AND SOUTHEAST AREA COMMERCIAL SALMON (13 proposals – Chair Godfrey) ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 Prince William Sound Area Commercial King Crab (2 proposals) .......................................................................... 1 PROPOSAL 244 – Allow a commercial king crab fishery in the Northern and Western Districts of Prince William Sound................................................................................................................................. 1 PROPOSAL 245 – Create commissioner’s permits for any king crab fishery in Area E closed for 5 years. .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Cook Inlet Area Subsistence Tanner Crab (3 proposals) ........................................................................................ 10 PROPOSAL 246 – Adopt amounts reasonably necessary for subsistence for crab in the Cook Inlet Area, outside the Anchorage-Matsu-Kenai Nonsubsistence Area. ........................................................... 10 PROPOSAL 247 – Adjust the opening date of the subsistence Tanner crab fishery east of Kachemak Bay in the Cook Inlet Area. ...................................................................................................................... 13 PROPOSAL 254 – Allow crab rings in the Cook Inlet Area Tanner crab subsistence fishery. ............... 20 Cook Inlet Area Sport Tanner Crab (6 proposals) .................................................................................................. 22 PROPOSAL 248 – Establish an annual Tanner crab limit. ...................................................................... 22 PROPOSAL 249 – Align the Tanner crab fishery season dates for Cook Inlet-Resurrection Bay Saltwater Area. ........................................................................................................................................