CFEC - ESSN Administrative Area Application Information Letter

September 1, 2026 To: All S04H Permit Holders RE: New Set Net Administrative Area in Cook Inlet To Whom It May Concern, This year, the Alaska State Legislature passed HB 117, legislation that amended AS 16.43.200 and directed the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission (CFEC) to create a new administrative area within the Upper Subdistrict of the Cook Inlet Central District for the salmon set gillnet commercial fishery (available at https://www.akleg.gov/PDF/34/Bills/HB0117Z.PDF). The new administrative area – East Side Set Net (which the CFEC is proposing to designate as area “I”) – includes a limited number of statistical areas as defined by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G): 244-21, 244-22, 244-31, 244-32, 244-41, and 244-42. The legislation provides for an application process, overseen by the CFEC, where current S04H permit holders who have previously fished in the defined statistical areas during the time period of January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2024, can apply to have their current S04H permit reassigned to the new East Side Set Net administrative area. Only permit holders who can provide satisfactory proof of their personal participation (except as described below) in these areas during the prescribed time period will be eligible to have their permit reassigned to the new East Side Set Net administrative area. Current S04H permit holders may also apply to have their entry permit renewed for the Cook Inlet set net administrative area, consistent with the new boundaries as amended by AS 16.43.200(c), under the standard permit renewal process and window. Application Process The application period for reassignment of an S04H permit will be open from October 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. All requests must be received by the CFEC licensing staff by 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, 2026 or postmarked no later than December 15, 2026 (if mailed). No applications received after this date and time will be considered. Requests for reassignment and all documentation may be submitted in person at the CFEC Juneau office, via mail at P.O. Box 110302, Juneau, AK 99811, or by email at dfg.cfec.research@alaska.gov. Requests for reassignment of an S04H permit must be made in writing and attached to the 2027 Permit Renewal form (available at www.cfec.state.ak.us). *Please DO NOT send payment with the application and documentation – payments cannot be processed prior to January 1, 2027 – the Licensing staff will contact each permit holder directly for payment information on or after January 2, 2027* Requests to have your S04H permit reassigned to the new East Side Set Net administrative area must include documentation of individual participation during the years of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024, and must be from one of the following statistical areas: •244-21 •244-22 •244-31 •244-32 •244-41 •244-42 Per the legislation, applicants may submit one or more of the following documents, however, the CFEC shall determine whether the documentation is sufficient to prove individual participation: 1.A copy of a previously submitted fish ticket(s) – this is the CFEC’s preferred documentation 2.A buoy tag (a picture of the buoy tag or documentation from ADF&G) 3.A shore fisheries lease – this document is not solely sufficient and must be submitted in conjunction with either (1) or (2). 4.An area registration - this document is not solely sufficient and must be submitted in conjunction with either (1) or (2). If you currently hold an S04H permit and did not fish during one of the qualifying years due to receiving the permit from an immediate family member during or after that time period, you may still qualify to have the permit reassigned to the new administrative area. If that family member participated in the described area of the fishery during the qualifying time period, proof of that participation must be provided (as described above), along with documentation to prove the relationship. Per the legislation: (c) In this section, an “immediate family member” means (1) the spouse of an individual; (2) another individual cohabitating with an individual in a conjugal relationship that is not a legal marriage; (3) a child, including a stepchild or an adopted child, of an individual; (4) a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, or uncle of an individual; and (5) a parent or sibling of an individual’s spouse In order to prove the relationship in this situation, the CFEC will accept the following documents: •Birth certificate; •Death certificate; •Marriage certificate; or •Signed and notarized affidavits from both the permit holder and the immediate family member, that attest to the nature of the relationship. Failure to submit adequate supporting documentation of past participation may delay the Commission’s ability to issue a final decision. After the CFEC receives your 2027 Permit Renewal form, along with a written request for permit reassignment and all required documentation, the review process will begin, and a determination of eligibility will be made starting on January 1, 2027. You will be notified of the CFEC’s decision to either grant your request to reassign your entry permit for the new East Side Set Net administrative area established by AS 16.43.200(c), or, deny your request and renew your entry permit for the Cook Inlet administrative area, as amended by AS 16.43.200(c). All applications will be processed, and decisions and permits will be issued by January 31, 2027. You may appeal the CFEC’s decision directly to the Alaska Superior Court on or before March 1, 2027. If you have further questions on this process, please email them to dfg.cfec.publicquestions@alaska.gov or call 907-790-6940. Respectfully, Rick Green, Commission Chair Tracy Welch, Commissioner