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Saltwater guides and their crews will have to keep their lines out of the water again this summer.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has reissued an emergency order, effective May 23 through Sept. 1, prohibiting commercial saltwater sportfishing guides and their crews from fishing their own rods or retaining their bag limits while fishing paying clients in most of Southcentral's saltwaters.

The order effects Cook Inlet, Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound and was issued in 2007 and 2008, as well.

Matt Miller, regional management biologist for Fish and Game, explained that the order is put in place to ensure the Pacific halibut Guideline Harvest Level (GHL) for charter boats in Southcentral is not exceeded.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council establishes GHLs.

Miller said halibut GHLs were exceeded in 2004 through 2007. The 2008 charter harvest is projected to go under the GHL, however, likely because of the emergency closure, Miller said.

Miller said that by limiting the crew's take and only allowing charter boats to fish as many rods as it has clients, paying anglers have been allowed to continue to retain a two halibut per person bag limit.

"The charter guys overwhelmingly favored not putting bag limits on their clients and instead prefer limiting themselves," Miller said.

The closure is lifted Sept. 1, Miller said, as guides expressed interest in keeping a few fish, particularly silvers, later in the season.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com.