(a) A person may transport and sell commercially taken fish as the agent of the commercial fisherman who caught the fish if the person holds a fish transporter permit issued by the commissioner under this section.

(b) The commissioner may issue a fish transporter permit to a natural person. A fish transporter permit authorizes the permittee to transport and sell commercially taken fish as the agent of the commercial fisherman who caught the fish. A fish transporter may not buy or process fish received for transport unless the fish transporter also holds the appropriate licenses, permits, and other authorizations required to buy or process fish.

(c) A person who applies for a fish transporter permit under this section shall provide the person's social security number to the department. Upon request of the child support services agency created in AS 25.27.010, or a child support agency of another state, the department shall provide a social security number provided by an applicant for a fish transporter permit under this section to that agency for child support purposes authorized under law.

(d) A commercial fisherman may authorize a fish transporter to transport and sell fish on behalf of the fisherman as the agent of the fisherman. The fish transporter shall complete a fish ticket in accordance with procedures prescribed by the department for each fisherman who transfers fish to the fish transporter. The fish ticket must accompany the fish transferred to the fish transporter while the fish are in possession of the fish transporter. The fish transporter shall present the fish ticket for inspection upon request by a peace officer or representative of the commissioner. The fish transporter shall present the fish ticket to the buyer of the fish at the time of sale. The buyer of the fish shall complete the fish ticket by inserting the buyer's information as required by the department, including the weight or count of fish purchased. The buyer shall return a copy of the fish ticket to the commercial fisherman on whose behalf the fish are sold.

(e) A commercial fisherman who transfers fish to a fish transporter to transport and sell fish on behalf of the fisherman shall provide the fish transporter with all required information that the fisherman would have to provide to the buyer of the fish if the fisherman were to personally sell the fish to the buyer. The fish transporter who sells fish as the agent of a commercial fisherman shall provide all information to the buyer of the fish that the commercial fisherman would have to provide to the buyer if the fisherman were to personally sell the fish.

(f) A commercial fisherman may also hold a fish transporter permit. A commercial fisherman who holds a fish transporter permit may simultaneously transport or sell fish that the fisherman caught as well as fish caught by other commercial fishermen. A commercial fisherman who is simultaneously operating as a fish transporter shall physically possess

(1) the fish ticket completed under (d) of this section for the fish being transported or sold on behalf of another fisherman; and

(2) other documentation that may be prescribed by the commissioner by regulation.

(g) The commissioner may adopt regulations the commissioner considers necessary to implement this section. The regulations may not conflict with regulations or management plans adopted by the Board of Fisheries. The regulations may include

(1) criteria for determining areas or fisheries for which transporter permits may not be issued because

(A) fish transporter operations may alter harvest rates for the area or fishery to the extent that conservation of the resource is jeopardized, may significantly impair the ability of the department to accurately determine catch or effort levels, or may interfere with fishery management, allocation, or enforcement matters;

(B) a fishery is managed through allocations of the harvest to individuals, such as trip limits or quota shares; or

(C) combining of catches by multiple fishermen on a vessel may impair the ability of the department to accurately determine the incidental catch by each fisherman;

(2) requirements for timely and accurate reporting and record keeping; or

(3) procedures to maintain quality of harvested resources.

(h) Fish transferred to the possession of a fish transporter under the authority of this section are property of the fisherman who caught the fish until the fish are sold to a buyer by the fish transporter on behalf of the fisherman.

(i) In this section, “fish” means fish legally harvested and retained in salmon, herring, or Pacific cod fisheries.