(a) Except as provided in (b) and (c) of this section, records required by regulations of the department concerning the landings of fish, shellfish, or fishery products, and annual statistical reports of fishermen, buyers, and processors required by regulation of the department are confidential and may not be released by the department or by the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission except as set out in this subsection. The department may release the records and reports set out in this subsection to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. The department and the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission may release the records and reports set out in this subsection to the recipients identified in this subsection if the recipient, other than a recipient under (6) - (10) of this subsection, agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the records and reports. The department and the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission may release
(1) any of the records and reports to the National Marine Fisheries Service and the professional staff of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council as required for preparation and implementation of the fishery management plans of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council within the exclusive economic zone;
(2) any of the records and reports to the professional staff of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission who are employed in the Alaska Fisheries Information Network project for the purpose of exchanging information with users authorized by the department;
(3) any of the records and reports to the Department of Revenue to assist the department in carrying out its statutory responsibilities;
(4) records or reports of the total value purchased by each buyer to a municipality that levies and collects a tax on fish, shellfish, or fishery products if the municipality requires records of the landings of fish, shellfish, or fishery products to be submitted to it for purposes of verification of taxes payable;
(5) records or reports of guided sport fishing activities filed by a guide to a municipality that levies a tax on those activities if the
(A) municipality requests the records for the purpose of verifying taxes payable; and
(B) activities occurred within the four calendar years preceding the date of the request;
(6) such records and reports as necessary to be in conformity with a court order;
(7) on request, the report of a person to the person whose fishing activity is the subject of the report, or to a designee of the person whose fishing activity is the subject of the report;
(8) on request, annual statistical reports of a fisherman, buyer, or processor to the fisherman, buyer, or processor whose activity is the subject of the report, or to a designee of the fisherman, buyer, or processor whose activity is the subject of the report;
(9) any of the records and reports to the Department of Public Safety for law enforcement purposes;
(10) fish tickets, fish ticket information, records required of sport fishing guides, and annual statistical reports of fishermen, buyers, and processors and information in those reports to the law enforcement personnel of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the purpose of enforcing fishery laws in waters of this state and in waters of the exclusive economic zone adjacent to this state;
(11) fish tickets, fish ticket information, and records required of sport fishing guides regarding halibut to the International Pacific Halibut Commission;
(12) any of the records and reports to the child support services agency created in AS 25.27.010, or the child support enforcement agency of another state, for child support purposes authorized under law;
(13) any of the records and reports to the Department of Natural Resources to assist the department in carrying out its statutory responsibilities in regard to sport fishing operations and sport fishing guides within the Kenai River Special Management Area under AS 41.21.500 - 41.21.514; and
(14) fish ticket information and records or reports of the total value purchased by each fisherman, buyer, or processor to the National Marine Fisheries Service for the purpose of enforcing the industry fee system of a fishing capacity reduction program under 16 U.S.C. 1861a (Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act).
(b) Except as provided in (c) of this section, records or reports received by the department which do not identify individual fishermen, buyers, or processors or the specific locations where fish have been taken are public information.
(c) Crab stock abundance survey information that reveals crab catch by sampling location is confidential and is not subject to inspection or copying under AS 40.25.110 - 40.25.120 until the close of the fishing season for which the survey was conducted.
(d) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the department shall keep confidential (1) personal information contained in fish and wildlife harvest and usage data; and (2) the records of the department that concern (A) telemetry radio frequencies of monitored species; (B) denning sites; (C) nest locations of raptors that require special attention; (D) the specific location of animal capture sites used for wildlife research or management; and (E) the specific location of fish and wildlife species. The department may release records and information that are kept confidential under this subsection if the release is necessary to comply with a court order, if the requester is a state or federal agency, if the requester is under contract with the state or federal agency to conduct research on a fish or wildlife population, or if the requester has been authorized by the department to perform specific activities and agrees to use the records and information only for purposes as provided under a contract or agreement with the department. After 25 years, the records and information that are kept confidential under this subsection become public records subject to inspection and copying under AS 40.25.110 - 40.25.140 unless the department determines that the release of the records or information may be detrimental to the fish or wildlife population. In this subsection, “personal information” has the meaning given in AS 40.25.350.
(e) The department may charge a municipality a fee, set by the department under AS 37.10.050, to provide a record under (a)(5) of this section.