The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) manages the commercial harvest of food fish, shellfish, and salmon.  Commercial fishers must obtain applicable licenses from the DFW to participate in regulated fisheries.  In general, commercial fishing license fees are structured by species and fishing technique, and there is a resident and nonresident fee for each license type.
 
To fish commercially for shrimp in Puget Sound, a person must obtain either a shrimp pot-Puget Sound or shrimp trawl-Puget Sound license from the DFW.  Both license types are limited entry fisheries, with a resident annual fee of $335 and a nonresident annual fee of $720.
 
The DFW by rule defines nonspot shrimp as various species of pandalid shrimp including: dock shrimp (Pandalus danae), coonstripe shrimp (Pandalus hypsinotus), humpy shrimp (Pandalus goniurus), ocean pink shrimp (Pandalus jordani), pink shrimp (Pandalus eous), and side stripe shrimp (Pandalus (Pandalopsis) dispar).

A nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license is established.  A person may not fish for nonspot shrimp in the Puget Sound for commercial purposes with nonspot shrimp pot gear without a license.  The annual license fee is $335 for residents and $720 for nonresidents.  No more than one shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license or nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may be owned by a licensee.  The combined number of shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery licenses and nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery licenses issued is limited to five licenses in total.
 
A nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may only be issued to a natural person who held a nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license or a shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license issued during the previous licensing year.  A shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery licensee may voluntarily convert their license to a nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license.  Once the license is converted it is permanently retired as a shrimp trawl-Puget Sound license.  Only an immediate family member of the licensee or the licensee's spouse may be designated as an alternate operator for the license, with certain exceptions.  A licensee may designate any natural person as an alternate operator by requesting the Fisheries Advisory Board designates an alternate who is not an immediate family member.
 
A converted limited entry nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may only fish on nonspot shrimp resources previously allocated to shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license holders.  If all shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery licenses convert to nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery licenses, the DFW must work with stakeholders to review the allocation of the commercial nonspot shrimp resources and develop recommendations for future allocations.
 
Nonspot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license holders reserve the right to cooperatively modify and design gear with the DFW to efficiently and economically harvest Pandalus eous, Pandalus jordani, and Pandalus dispar.  The process to modify and design gear is intended to develop the fishery to ensure a means to harvest all nonspot shrimp species for these license holders.

"Nonspot shrimp" means various species of pandalid shrimp including dock shrimp (Pandalus danae), coonstripe shrimp (Pandalus hypsinotus), humpy shrimp (Pandalus goniurus), ocean pink shrimp (Pandalus jordani), pink shrimp (Pandalus eous), and side stripe shrimp (Pandalus (Pandalopsis) dispar).