Notice of Proposed Changes to 5 AAC 95.011

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) proposes to adopt regulation changes in 5 AAC 95.011 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with waters important for the spawning, rearing, or migration of anadromous fish, including the following:

• 5 AAC 95.011 is proposed to be changed as follows: updating the Atlas to the Catalog of Waters Important for the Spawning, Rearing, or Migration of Anadromous Fishes and Catalog of Waters Important for the Spawning, Rearing, or Migration of Anadromous Fishes (atlas and catalog), to adopt by reference the June 2025 revised edition.
• The 2025 edition of the atlas and catalog provides updates to the list of rivers, lakes, and streams, including additions, deletions, and changes to legal descriptions. Minor revisions are made to the introduction of the catalog. Additionally, species-specific information is used in place of undifferentiated species information wherever possible.

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 Beth Evers, Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Habitat Section, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518. Additionally, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will accept comments by facsimile at (907) 267-2499 or by electronic mail to dfg.hab.anadromous@alaska.gov. The comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. AKST, Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to Beth Evers, Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Habitat Section, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and at the agency's website at http://awc.adfg.alaska.gov.

If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Beth Evers at beth.evers@alaska.gov or (907) 267-2143 no later than Sunday, May 18, 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 by contacting Beth Evers at beth.evers@alaska.gov or (907) 267-2143.

A copy of the materials proposed for adoption by reference for all six regions of Alaska (Southeastern, Southcentral, Southwestern, Western, Arctic, and Interior) are available for inspection and copying at the following locations: in the Anchorage ADF&G office at 333 Raspberry Rd.; at the Alaska Resources Library at 3211 Providence Dr.; in the Fairbanks ADF&G office at 1300 College Rd; and in Juneau at the Alaska State Library at 395 Whittier Street. The ADF&G offices in Craig, Delta Junction, Douglas, Homer, Ketchikan, Nome, and Soldotna have copies of the proposed changes and draft Atlas maps for their region only.

Electronic equivalents of the review documents and the atlas maps are also available through the ADF&G website at: awc.adfg.alaska.gov

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

Statutory Authority: AS 16.05.020 and AS 16.05.871

Statutes Being Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: AS 16.05.871

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