With the first personal use king crab season in six years in full swing, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game wants to remind fishermen of a few regulations they may not be aware of.
In a Monday release, ADF&G sent out four clarifications and reminders about the fishery:
• Dive gear is an allowable gear type in this fishery; however, it differs from pot and ring net gear where multiple permit holders may retain crab caught in a vessel’s pot or ring nets. Diving is an individual event, and harvesting for others, or party fishing, is not allowed. A permit holder utilizing dive gear may retain only one daily limit of crab with the exception of proxy fishing for one other household permit.
• Participants using pot gear are reminded that king crab pots must have two escape rings on opposite sides of the pot measuring a minimum of 6¼ inches inside diameter and a sidewall opening 18 inches or more which is located no more than 6 inches from the base and parallel to it, secured with a single piece of untreated cotton twine no larger than 30-thread count.
• Pot or ring net gear can be fished from shore by a permit holder with the same gear limits provided per vessel (one pot or two rings). If pot or ring net gear is left unattended on shore, the lines attached must be clearly marked with the permit holder’s first initial and last name, home address and the words “No Vessel.”
• Participants must turn in their permits immediately to the Douglas ADF&G office once their seasonal household limit has been reached.
