1. (a) In the Southeast District, demersal shelf rockfish may be taken in a management area and in the directed fishery only as follows:

   1. (1) in the Southeast Outside Subdistrict, from January 5 until the day before the start of the commercial halibut season, or until the annual directed harvest limit for the management area is taken, whichever occurs first;

   2. (2) in the Northern Southeast Inside and Southern Southeast Inside Subdistricts,

      1. (A) from January 5 until the day before the start of the commercial halibut season, or until 67 percent of the annual directed harvest limit for the management area is taken, whichever occurs first; and
      2. (B) from the day following the end of the commercial halibut season through December 31, or until the remainder of the annual directed harvest limit for the management area is taken, whichever occurs first.
2. (b) For all Eastern Gulf of Alaska demersal shelf rockfish fishing periods, the opening time is 9:00 a.m. and the closing time is 4:00 p.m.

3. (c) The season opening for the directed demersal shelf rockfish fishery in the Southeast Outside Subdistrict will be delayed for the management area eligible to be opened under this subsection for

   1. (1) 24 hours if the corresponding National Weather Service marine forecast issued during the 48 hours before the season opening contains freezing spray or gale force winds of 35 knots or higher for the scheduled opening date; and
   2. (2) 48 hours if the corresponding National Weather Service marine forecast issued during the 48 hours before the season opening date contains freezing spray or gale force winds of 35 knots or higher for the day after the scheduled opening date.
4. (d) Announcement of a season opening delay under (c) of this section will be issued at least 24 hours before the season opening of the fishery. If freezing spray or gale force winds of 35 knots or higher continue after the initial delay, the season opening will be delayed an additional 24 hours. The delay may continue on a rolling 24-hour basis as necessary for up to five days after the scheduled opening date.

5. (e) For the purposes of this section, the corresponding National Weather Service marine forecast areas for the management sections of the Southeast Outside Subdistrict are as follows:

   1. (1) East Yakutat (EYKT) Section: Cape Fairweather to Icy Cape;
   2. (2) Northern Southeast Outside (NSEO) Section: Cape Edgecumbe to Cape Spencer and Cape Spencer to Cape Fairweather;
   3. (3) Central Southeast Outside (CSEO) Section: Cape Decision to Cape Edgecumbe and Cape Edgecumbe to Cape Spencer;
   4. (4) Southern Southeast Outside (SSEO) Section: Dixon Entrance to Cape Decision.

(Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130; am 6/15/97, Register 142; am 6/3/2000, Register 154; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 5/31/2009, Register 190; am 6/27/2025, Register 254)