(a) At least 30 days before the issuance of a permit under Alaska Stat. § 16.12.010, the department shall hold a public hearing in a central location in the vicinity of the proposed release of shellfish.
(b) Notice of the hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for three consecutive weeks, with completion of the notice at least five days before the hearing.(c) The department shall conduct the hearing. The applicant shall present a plan for the proposed project describing the capacity of the facility and other relevant facts that may be of interest to the department or to the public. The department shall give interested members of the public an opportunity to be heard.(d) The department shall record and consider objections and recommendations offered by the public at the hearing conducted under this section. The department shall respond in writing, not later than 30 days after the hearing is held, to a specific objection offered by a member of the public at the hearing.
