1. (a) A person or vessel that operates commercial, subsistence, personal use, or sport pots or ring nets, other than commercial shrimp pots or Dungeness crab pots, during the 30 days immediately before the scheduled opening date of the commercial king crab season in Registration Area A may not participate in that king crab fishery.
2. (b) Notwithstanding 5 AAC 31.053(d), 5 AAC 32.053(d), and 5 AAC 34.053(2), a person or vessel may operate commercial shrimp pots or Dungeness crab pots during an open king crab season in Registration Area A if the commercial shrimp or Dungeness crab season is open in Registration Area A at the same time as the commercial king crab season.
3. (c) During the commercial red, blue, or golden king crab fisheries, the operator of a vessel that is validly registered for the commercial red, blue or golden king crab fisheries may have on board the vessel, or in the water in fishing condition, not more than 30 groundfish pots as defined in 5 AAC 28.050(e) and 5 AAC 39.145(5), to harvest bait as described in 5 AAC 28.190. Red, blue, and golden king crab may not be legally retained while the vessel is fishing for bait and must be returned to the water unharmed. Buoys attached to pots used to harvest bait must have the word "LP-BAIT" on the top half of the buoy and be marked as set out under 5 AAC 28.050(b)(2). Pots used to harvest bait may be longlined and are exempt from the provisions of 5 AAC 28.050(f)(1).
4. (d) Fish retained for use as bait must be recorded on an ADF&G fish ticket as set out under 5 AAC 28.190(5).

(Eff. 11/6/96, Register 140; am 5/8/98, Register 146; am 8/8/99, Register 151; am 6/27/2025, Register 254)

Authority: AS 16.05.251, AS 16.05.258