1. (a) In the Southeast District, a vessel fishing for

   1. (1) halibut with longline gear may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of the allowable bycatch limit specified in the first emergency order of the season, based on the round weight of halibut on board the vessel, as follows:

      1. (A) lingcod caught in excess of the allowable bycatch limit, based on the round weight of halibut on board the vessel, must be immediately released at sea;
      2. (B) lingcod landed in excess of the allowable bycatch limit must be weighed and reported as bycatch overage on an ADF&G fish ticket and sold; proceeds from the sale of excess lingcod bycatch shall be surrendered to the state;
      3. (C) based on harvest, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the bycatch season and immediately reopen a bycatch season during which a different lingcod bycatch level is allowed;
   2. (2) sablefish may not land or have on board lingcod, except as specified in (3) of this subsection;

   3. (3) halibut and sablefish at the same time may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of the allowable bycatch limit specified in the first emergency order of the season, based on the round weight of halibut on board the vessel, as follows:

      1. (A) lingcod caught in excess of the allowable bycatch limit, based on the round weight of halibut on board the vessel, must be immediately released at sea;
      2. (B) lingcod landed in excess of the allowable bycatch limit must be weighed and reported as bycatch overage on an ADF&G fish ticket and sold; proceeds from the sale of excess lingcod bycatch shall be surrendered to the state;
      3. (C) based on harvest, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the bycatch season and immediately reopen a bycatch season during which a different lingcod bycatch level is allowed;

   4. (4) salmon with troll gear in the waters of Sitka Sound described in 5 AAC 28.150(a) may retain and have on board no more than two lingcod only from May 16 through November 30, or until closed by emergency order, and only if the permit holder

      1. (A) immediately removes the dorsal fin of the lingcod retained; the head of a lingcod retained under this paragraph must remain attached to determine if the lingcod meets the legal size requirement of (e) of this section;
      2. (B) weighs and reports the lingcod retained for the permit holder's personal use on an ADF&G fish ticket as required in 5 AAC 39.130; a lingcod retained under this paragraph may not be sold;

   5. (5) salmon fishing with troll gear may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of the allowable bycatch limit specified in the first emergency order of the season, based on the round weight of salmon on board the vessel, as follows:

      1. (A) lingcod caught in excess of the allowable bycatch limit, based on the round weight of salmon on board the vessel, must be immediately released at sea;
      2. (B) lingcod landed in excess of the allowable bycatch limit must be weighed and reported as bycatch overage on an ADF&G fish ticket and sold; proceeds from the sale of excess lingcod bycatch shall be surrendered to the state;
      3. (C) based on harvest, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the bycatch season and immediately reopen a bycatch season during which a different lingcod bycatch level is allowed.

2. (b) In the Southeast District, a vessel fishing with long line gear may not land or have on board lingcod in excess of 35 percent, based on the round weight of target species taken in the directed fishery that are on board the vessel, as follows:

   1. (1) lingcod caught in excess of the allowable bycatch limit, based on the round weight of target species on board the vessel, must be immediately released at sea;
   2. (2) lingcod landed in excess of the allowable bycatch limit must be weighed and reported as bycatch overage on an ADF&G fish ticket and sold; proceeds from the sale of excess lingcod bycatch shall be surrendered to the state.
3. (c) In the Eastern Gulf of Alaska Area, a vessel using trawl gear may not land or have on board lingcod.
4. (d) Repealed 6/15/97.
5. (e) All lingcod retained must measure at least 27 inches from the tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, or 20.5 inches from the front of the dorsal fin to the tip of the tail. Undersized lingcod must be returned to the water immediately without further harm.
6. (f) In a directed lingcod fishery, if the commissioner determines that a trip limit will contribute to conservation or promote an orderly fishery, the commissioner may close, by emergency order, the directed lingcod fishery and reopen the fishery during which a trip limit is in effect.
7. (g) If the commissioner determines it necessary for biological sampling purposes, the commissioner may close, by emergency order, a fishing season for lingcod and immediately reopen the season with a requirement that all lingcod be delivered with the head on and with the vent and the external area one inch forward of the vent unmutilated, as evidence of gender.

8. (h) In a directed lingcod fishery, a CFEC permit holder shall contact the department at a telephone number or other means specified by the department at the time of registration and provide the following information to the department:

   1. (1) the CFEC permit holder's name;
   2. (2) the name of the vessel;
   3. (3) the groundfish management areas in which the permit holder is fishing;
   4. (4) the number of lingcod retained in each management area;
   5. (5) the number of hours fished in each management area; and
   6. (6) other information requested by the department for the purpose of managing and conserving lingcod resources.

(Eff. 4/15/94, Register 130; am 6/15/97, Register 142; am 5/31/98, Register 146; am 6/14/2000, Register 154; am 12/30/2000, Register 156; am 5/26/2006, Register 178; am 5/31/2009, Register 190; am 7/1/2015, Register 214; am 6/27/2025, Register 254)