Vaugeness of Alaskan Hunting and Fishing Regulations.

[Daveinthebush]

I was in the Hook, Line and Sinker the other day picking up a new gun and had quite a conversation. I was looking at the shrimp traps and the opening was only 5 inches long.  The regs say 6" long opening. It does not say if the measurement has to be horizontal or could be diagnal, making the traps legal.

When I took my boat out for the first time on PWS I got a ticket for using 2 rods. I had the PWS regs with me and no where in them could I find the correct reg.  It was of course in the general regulations which I purchased for $110 :roll: .  

Up here we have General Regulations, Zonal regs, Special Regs within zones and Emergency regs.

You might be following all the regulations and then an Emergency Closure is announced and you are supposed to follow it even thought the only way to know of the closure is via computer and your in the field.

Does anyone out there have a problem with how obscure and silly the regulations are at times up here?

[akpls]

It gets even worse when you call ADF&G and get 2 different answers from 2 different people.

[Yukon Jack]

I agree with you Dave, but in particular when discussing areas where there are emergency closures or closures based on harvest limits, there are worse alternatives.  One would be the drawing system.  I can't stand the way our Drawing Permit system is set up.  The other would be to just close those units and not allow hunting, trapping, fishing, etc...

It's a big and complicated state, especially with the feds involved.  It ain't perfect by any means, but it could be a whole lot worse.

[Dand]

This is partly the result of our wonderfuly public system for developing Alaska's regulations.  Many of the regulations have been pushed through by the Board of Fish after extensive public testimony.  Then its up to the Dept of Law and ADFG to put them into effect and proper wording.  Let me tell you its tough and some real snarls can develop.  Like commercial fishing regulations in one plan in Bristol Bay had diametrically opposed instructions:  if X happens do Y; yet later in the plan there was a different requirement that  if X happened do Z and there was no way to do X AND Z.  

I agonized over this problem for 22 years in ADFG and did my best to make things as good as possible but its just hard when one adds the biological concerns of Fish and Game along with all the social and economic issues reflected in the regulations.

I figure part of the reason for the decline in sport fishing license sales among Alaska residentsis due to the frustration with regulations. When I was a kid, sport regs for the whole state could be found in a 20-30 page 3 inch by 3 inch booklet that fit your pocket. NOT SO now - but broad sweeping simple regulations would likely reduce opportunities in many places and allow resource damage in others.

One solution I can suggest is to get involved with your local Fish and Game Advisory committee and to submit your comments to the Boards of Game and Fish.  They have an extensive website and will accept email comments.  The whole system depends heavily on public participation.  

In Bristol Bay we tried to warn folks of the potential for Emergency Orders in the reg booklets as well as with season outlook pamphlets, radio announcements, newspaper articles, websites, and extensive contacts with guides and air taxies.  We also tried to time any emergency regulations such that the public had a reasonable opportunity to hear about them befoe they went into effect - but always realised that some folks would be so remote they couldn't know about them. It is messy but that was the cost of maximizing sport fishing opportunities while maintaining viable fish populations.

Call the Glennallen or Anchorage Fish and Game office or get ADFG online to find out more about the nearest advisory committee and schedule.

Good luck, the regs are messy and likely to remain so but they can always be improved. Contact me if you want a little more help.