NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES ON FISHERY GEAR CODES

IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE ALASKA

COMMERCIAL FISHERIES ENTRY COMMISSION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission proposes to change regulations by adding new gear code usage.

The Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (Commission) proposes to adopt regulation changes in 20 AAC 05.220 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with adding new gear code usage, including the following:

(1)        20 AAC 05.220: Gear codes, is proposed to be changed by allowing the use of a beach seine under a set gillnet permit in the Cook Inlet set gillnet fishery as authorized by the Board of Fisheries.

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 to the Commission at P.O. Box 110302, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0302. Additionally, the Commission will accept comments by facsimile at 907-789-6170, and by electronic mail at DFG.CFEC.PublicQuestions@alaska.gov. Comments may also be submitted through the Alaska Online Public Notice System, by accessing this notice on the system and using the comment link. The comments must be received not later than 5:00 pm on March 21, 2025.

You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to the Commission by e-mail at DFG.CFEC.PublicQuestions@alaska.gov, or by mail at P.O. Box 110302 Juneau, AK 99811-0302. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Commission will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and the Commission's website at https://www.cfec.state.ak.us.

If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Jennifer Findley at jennifer.findley@alaska.gov   or 907-790-6940 not later than March 19, 2025 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.

A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and on the Commission’s website at https://www.cfec.state.ak.us/mnu_Regulations.htm.

After the public comment period ends, the Commission will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected.

Statutory authority: AS 16.43.100, AS 16.43.110, AS 16.43.140, AS 16.43.990

Statutes being implemented, interpreted, or made specific: AS 16.43.100, AS 16.43.110, AS 16.43.140, AS 16.43.990

Fiscal information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.

The Commission keeps a list of individuals and organizations interested in its regulations. Those on the list will automatically be sent a copy of all of the Commission notices of proposed regulation changes. To be added to or removed from the list, send a request to the Commission at jennifer.findley@alaska.gov, giving your name, and either your e-mail address or mailing address, as you prefer for receiving notices.

Individuals can also signup to receive automated notifications of all State of Alaska notices, including public notice for regulation changes, by subscribing to the Alaska Online Public Notices System: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Default.aspx.

Date:   February 18, 2025