The proposed bill, titled the Alaska Coastal Micro-Fisheries Act, aims to amend existing laws regarding health and sanitary requirements for commercial fishing vessels in Alaska. It introduces new provisions that allow the Department of Environmental Conservation to exempt certain commercial vessels and their associated fishery processing operations from additional health and sanitary requirements if they meet specific safety standards and harvest low-risk fishery species. Additionally, the bill permits these vessels to package and freeze up to 5,000 pounds of harvested fishery resources per voyage.

Furthermore, the bill establishes a cap on annual fees for licensed commercial fishers who harvest fewer than 10,000 pounds of fishery resources from smaller vessels, ensuring they are not charged more than $100 in fees. It also mandates the Department of Environmental Conservation to simplify and streamline regulations for commercial fishers operating from small vessels, particularly those from rural coastal communities, and requires the department to respond to permit applications within 30 days. The Act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
HB0356A, AM HB 356, introduced 02/23/2026: 44.46.020, 44.46.027, C.F.R, 44.46.025, 43.75.020