00 SENATE BILL NO. 158 01 "An Act relating to administrative areas for regulation of certain commercial set net 02 entry permits; and providing for an effective date." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 05 to read: 06 LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The Alaska State Legislature finds that it is in the public 07 interest to establish a new administrative area on the east side of Cook Inlet. 08 * Sec. 2. AS 16.43.200 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 09 (c) Notwithstanding (a) and (b) of this section, for the purposes of issuing 10 entry permits and controlling entry into the commercial set net fishery on the east side 11 of Cook Inlet, the commission shall establish the area administered on December 31, 12 2024, identified by the Department of Fish and Game as of January 1, 2024, as 13 statistical areas 244-21, 244-22, 244-31, 244-32, 244-41, and 244-42 of the Upper 14 Subdistrict of the Cook Inlet Central District as a distinct administrative area separate 01 from the Cook Inlet administrative area. 02 (d) An entry permit that entitled a person to set net commercially in the area 03 that was administered on December 31, 2024, by the commission as the Cook Inlet 04 administrative area does not entitle that person to set net commercially in the 05 administrative area established under (c) of this section unless the commission 06 reassigns the permit to that administrative area. 07 * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 08 read: 09 TRANSITION: REASSIGNMENT OF CERTAIN COOK INLET AREA SET NET 10 ENTRY PERMITS. (a) On January 1, 2026, an individual holding an entry permit that entitles 11 the individual to commercially set net in the Cook Inlet administrative area may have the 12 individual's entry permit renewed as an entry permit for the Cook Inlet set net administrative 13 area under AS 16.43.150(c), consistent with the boundaries of that administrative area 14 established under AS 16.43.200, as amended by sec. 2 of this Act, unless the individual 15 provides proof satisfactory to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission of the 16 individual's participation or, if the individual acquired the individual's entry permit from an 17 immediate family member, of the immediate family member's participation in the fishery in 18 the areas identified by the Department of Fish and Game as of January 1, 2024, as statistical 19 areas 244-21, 244-22, 244-31, 244-32, 244-41, and 244-42 of the Upper Subdistrict of the 20 Cook Inlet Central District within the five years preceding December 31, 2024. Proof 21 satisfactory of participation under this subsection may include a shore fisheries lease, an area 22 registration, a buoy tag, or previous submission of fishing statistics for the area. 23 (b) An individual who provides proof satisfactory to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries 24 Entry Commission of the individual's participation in the fishery in the areas identified by the 25 Department of Fish and Game as of January 1, 2024, as statistical areas 244-21, 244-22, 244- 26 31, 244-32, 244-41, and 244-42 of the Upper Subdistrict of the Cook Inlet Central District 27 under (a) of this section shall be reassigned an entry permit on January 1, 2026, for the new 28 administrative area established under AS 16.43.200(c), enacted by sec. 2 of this Act. 29 (c) In this section, "immediate family member" means 30 (1) the spouse of an individual; 31 (2) another individual cohabiting with an individual in a conjugal relationship 01 that is not a legal marriage; 02 (3) a child, including a stepchild or an adopted child, of an individual; 03 (4) a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, or uncle of an individual; and 04 (5) a parent or sibling of an individual's spouse. 05 * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 06 read: 07 TRANSITION: APPEAL OF COMMISSION DECISION NOT TO ASSIGN AN 08 APPLICANT'S PERMIT TO NEW ADMINISTRATIVE AREA. (a) An individual may 09 appeal a decision by the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission to renew the entry 10 permit held by the individual that allows the individual to commercially fish in the Cook Inlet 11 administrative area, as the area's boundaries are amended by AS 16.43.200(c), enacted by sec. 12 2 of this Act, instead of issuing the individual an entry permit for the administrative area 13 established by AS 16.43.200(c), enacted by sec. 2 of this Act. An appeal under this section 14 must be made to the superior court on or before March 1, 2026. 15 (b) The commission shall provide an individual who is appealing a decision of the 16 commission under this section a provisional entry permit for the administrative area 17 established by AS 16.43.200(c), enacted by sec. 2 of this Act. 18 * Sec. 5. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.