1. (a) In Registration Area A, the minimum stock threshold for a commercial Tanner crab fishery is 2,300,000 pounds of mature male Tanner crab, measured by one-half of the long-term average (1997 - 2007) of mature male abundance. If the estimated abundance of mature male Tanner crab is below 2,300,000 pounds, the commercial Tanner crab fishery will remain closed.

2. (b) The department shall manage the commercial Tanner crab fishery under a harvest strategy in which the commissioner, by emergency order, opens and closes fishing periods as follows:

   1. (1) the initial period of the commercial Tanner crab fishing season in the core areas, noncore areas, inside exploratory areas, and outside exploratory areas will be at least five days in length, and may be increased with additional fishing days allowed based on the estimated biomass of mature male crab and the number of registered pots at the start of the fishery, as follows:
   2. (2) at the end of the initial period, the core areas will close to fishing, and the noncore, inside exploratory areas, and outside exploratory areas will remain open for an additional five days; after the noncore areas close to fishing, the inside exploratory areas and outside exploratory areas will remain open for an additional fourteen days; after the inside exploratory areas close to fishing, the outside exploratory areas will remain open through March 31.

   Pots registered Additional fishing days If the mature biomass is

   at least 2,300,000

   pounds, but less than

   5,500,000 poundsIf the mature biomass is

   5,500,000 pounds or

   greater1,600 - 2,3994 additional days5 additional days2,400 - 3,1993 additional days4 additional days3,200 - 3,9992 additional days3 additional days4,000 - 5,5991 additional day2 additional days5,600 - 7,0000 additional days1 additional day

3. (c) For the purposes of this section,

   1. (1) "core areas" includes the following waters in Registration Area A:

      1. (A) Icy Strait: waters west of a line from Point Sophia to 58° 14.00´ N. lat., 135° 16.00´ W. long., including the waters of Port Frederick and Excursion Inlet, and waters east of Section 14-A, including the waters of Glacier Bay not closed by the National Park Service;
      2. (B) St. James Bay: waters west of a line from Point Whidbey to 58° 33.00´ N. lat., 135° 09.60´ W. long.;
      3. (C) District 15: waters east of a line from the north tip of Little Island to Point St. Mary, including Berners Bay;
      4. (D) Section 11-A: waters of Section 11-A in Stephens Passage;
      5. (E) Section 11-B: waters north of line from Point Arden to Circle Point and east of a line from Point Arden to Point Bishop, including all waters of Taku Inlet;
      6. (F) Seymour Canal: waters north of 57° 37.00´ N. lat.;
      7. (G) Port Snettisham: waters east and north of a line from Point Styleman to Point Anmer;
      8. (H) Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm: waters east of a line from Point Coke to Point Astley;
      9. (I) Gambier Bay: waters west of a line from Point Gambier to 57° 24.90´ N. lat., 133° 53.00´ W. long.;
      10. (J) Pybus Bay: waters north and west of a line from Point Pybus to the easternmost tip of San Juan Island to a point at 57° 14.60´ N. lat., 134° 07.30´ W. long.;
      11. (K) Section 13-C, excluding Sitkoh Bay;
      12. (L) Keku Strait, Port Camden and associated bays: waters southeast of a line from Cornwallis Point at 56° 55.91´ N. lat., 134° 16.42´ W. long. to Point McCartney at 57° 01.49´ N. lat., 134° 03.51´ W. long. and west of a line from Point Camden at 56° 48.66´ N. lat., 133° 52.79´ W. long. to Salt Point Light at 56° 50.68´ N. lat., 133° 52.02´ W. long.;
      13. (M) Frederick Sound: waters east of a line from Bay Point to Boulder Point including Farragut Bay, Thomas Bay, Section 8-A, and Section 8-B, and north and east of a line from Mitchell Point to Point St. John, including Kah Sheets Bay, Duncan Canal, and Wrangell Narrows;
   2. (2) "noncore areas" includes all waters of Alaska in those portions of districts in Registration Area A that are not described in (1) and (4) of this subsection;
   3. (3) "outside exploratory areas" includes all waters of Registration Area A in the exclusive economic zone;
   4. (4) "inside exploratory areas" includes all waters of Registration Area A within Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 as described in 5 AAC 33.200.

(Eff. 7/29/2009, Register 191; am 6/17/2018, Register 226; am 9/24/2021, Register 239; am 9/25/2022, Register 243)

Authority: AS 16.05.060, AS 16.05.251