NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES
IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE
ALASKA JOINT BOARD OF FISHERIES AND GAME
The Alaska Board of Fisheries and the Alaska Board of Game (collectively the Joint Board) propose to adopt regulation changes in Title 5 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with local fish and game advisory committees (ACs) and procedures for the adoption of fish and game regulations including the following:
ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES, including designated seats for specific communities, undesignated seats, dissolving inactive ACs, and residential requirements for members.
AREAS OF AC JURISIDICTION AND EMERGENCY CLOSURES, including the jurisdiction for the Cook Inlet-Resurrection Bay area, Southeast Alaska-Yakutat area, westward area for king crab, game management areas 21 and 24, and the process for advisory committee emergency closures.
FUNCTION AND UNIFORM RULES OF OPERATION OF LOCAL FISH AND
GAME ADVISORY COMMITTEES, including election procedures, voting requirements, secretary duties, processes for addressing vacancies, unjustifiable absences, calling meetings, and recording and approving AC recommendations.
ADMINISTRATION OF LOCAL FISH AND GAME ADVISORY COMMITTEES, including board action on AC requests, AC status and change of status including inactive ACs, and AC participation during board deliberations.
ADOPTION OF FISH AND GAME REGULATIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS, including the Joint Boards Petition and Subsistence Proposal Policies, procedure for board generated proposals and amendments, board meetings, AC attendance at meetings, definitions of board hearings and work sessions, and the process for scheduling inactive shellfish regulations.
In addition to the topics described above, the Joint Board will discuss setting a schedule for future joint board meetings. The Joint Board may also address other nonregulatory topics such as letters, findings and policies, and nonregulatory items typically at the end of the meeting under miscellaneous business, but action may occur earlier in the meeting if necessary.
The proposed changes are available on the Joint Board meeting information website at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.jbmeetinginfo&date=03-21-2019&meeting=anchorage, or by contacting the ADF&G Boards Support Section Office at (907) 465-4110.
Anyone interested in or affected by the subject matter contained in this legal notice should make written or oral comments to have their views considered by the board. You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments limited to more than 100 single-sided or 50 double-sided pages to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Boards Support Section, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811-5526, or by fax to (907) 465-6094, or online submission at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.jointboard so that comments are received no later than March 7, 2019. Written public comments over 100 single-sided or 50 double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group relating to proposals at the meeting will not be accepted. Written public comments limited to 10 single-sided or five double-sided pages in length from any one individual or group will also be accepted after the March 7, 2019 deadline by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but will not be inserted in board member workbooks until the beginning of the meeting.
Written comments will be accepted on any subject in this notice and may be submitted to the Joint Board any time before the proposal is voted on by the Joint Board in deliberations at the meeting scheduled below, but as a practical matter, comments submitted after the board begins deliberations on relevant proposals are likely to receive less consideration than comments submitted earlier.
During the meeting, written public comments from any one individual or group may be submitted by hand delivery at any time if 25 copies are provided. Oral comments may also be presented as explained below.
The public hearing portion of the meeting will begin following staff reports and continue until everyone who has signed up and is present has been given the opportunity to be heard. Additional public hearings with board committees may be held throughout the meeting before consideration and adoption of proposed changes in the regulations for the various topics. An agenda will be posted daily during the meeting. The Joint Board will take oral testimony only from those who register before the cut-off time announced by the board chair at the meeting. The length of oral statements may be limited to five minutes or less for private persons and 15 minutes or less for fish and game advisory committee and federal regional council representatives. Anyone interested in, or affected by, the subject matter contained in this legal notice should make written or oral comments if they wish to have their views considered by the Joint Board.
TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE
Alaska Joint Board of Fisheries and Game
March 21- 25, 2019
Anchorage Sheraton Hotel
401 East 6th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska
Any changes to meeting location, dates or times, or rescheduling of topics or subject matter will be announced by news release. Please watch for these announcements in the news media on the Joint Boards website at www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=process.jointboard or call (907) 465-4110.
If you are a person with a disability needing special accommodations in order to participate in this process, please contact Boards Support at (907) 465-4110 no later than ten days before the accommodation is needed to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.
Anyone interested in or affected by the subject matter included in this notice, including advisory committee composition, membership qualifications, rules of operation, areas of jurisdiction, or procedures for adoption of fish and game regulations, is hereby informed that, by publishing this legal notice the Joint Board may consider any or all of the subject areas covered by this notice. THE JOINT BOARD IS NOT LIMITED BY THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE OR CONFINES OF ACTUAL PROPOSALS SUBMITTED BY THE PUBLIC OR DEPARTMENT STAFF. Pursuant to AS 44.62.200, the Joint Board may review the full range of activities appropriate to any of the subjects listed in this notice.
After reviewing written public comments and considering oral public comments, the Joint Board may adopt these or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or amend, reject, supplement, defer or decide to take no action on the proposed regulation changes. The language of the final regulations may be different from the proposed regulations. YOU SHOULD SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENT DURING THE TIME ALLOWED IF YOUR INTERESTS COULD BE AFFECTED.
Statutory Authority: AS 16.05.251; AS 16.05.255; AS 16.05.260
Statutes Being Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: AS 16.05.251; AS 16.05.255; AS 16.05.260
Fiscal Information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.
Date: January 24, 2019 /s/
Glenn Haight, Executive Director
Alaska Board of Fisheries
ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS NOTICE INFORMATION
(AS 44.62.190(g))
- Adopting agency: Joint Board of Fisheries and Game (Joint Board)
- General subject of regulation: Local Fish and Game Advisory Committees, and Procedures for Adoption of Fish and Game Regulations.
- Citation of regulations: 5 AAC 96 and 97
- Department of Law file numbers: 2018200696
- Reason for the proposed action:
( ) compliance with federal law
( ) compliance with new or changed state statute
( ) compliance with court order
( X ) development of program standards
(X) Other: Updating standards in regulations
- Appropriation/Allocation: Natural Resources and all RDUs
- Cost of implementation to the state agency and available funding: It is not possible to estimate costs. However, this action is not expected to require an increased appropriation.
- The name of the contact person for the regulations:
Name: Glenn Haight
Title: Executive Director, Board Fisheries
Address: Boards Support Section
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game
PO Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
Telephone: (907) 465-4110
E-mail: glenn.haight@alaska.gov
- The origin of the proposed action:
X staff of state agency
federal government
X general public
- Date: January 24, 2019
Prepared by: /s/
Glenn Haight, Executive Director
Alaska Board of Fisheries
(907) 465-4110