WSR 13-17-060
EMERGENCY RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FISH AND WILDLIFE
[Order 13-198—Filed August 15, 2013, 3:39 p.m., effective August 15, 2013, 3:39 p.m.]
Effective Date of Rule: Immediately upon filing.
Purpose: Amend commercial fishing rules.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-24-04000W; and amending WAC 220-24-040.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.045, 77.12.047, and 77.04.020.
Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest.
Reasons for this Finding: A harvestable quota of salmon is available for the troll fleet in Areas 1 and 2. Chinook and coho catch rates have been lower than expected in the southern areas. A closure of the northern areas is necessary to stay within the preseason cap on chinook and meet the season objectives. These rules are adopted at the recommendation of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, in accordance with preseason fishing plans and the National Marine Fisheries Service from an in-season call. There is insufficient time to adopt permanent rules.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 1.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: August 15, 2013.
Joe Stohr
for Philip Anderson
Director
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-24-04000X All-citizen commercial salmon troll.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-24-040, effective immediately until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for salmon with troll gear or to land salmon taken with troll gear into a Washington port except during the seasons provided for in this section:
(1) Salmon Management and Catch Reporting Areas 1, 2, 3, and that portion of Area 4 west of 125°05'00" W longitude and south of 48°23'00" N latitude, open:
August 16 through August 20, 2013;
August 23 through August 27, 2013;
August 30 through September 3, 2013;
September 6 through September 10, 2013; and
September 13 through September 17, 2013.
(2) Landing and possession limit of 150 Chinook and 80 coho per boat per each entire open period for the entire Catch Areas 1 and 2. Catch Areas 3 and 4 are closed to commercial salmon trolling. Under no circumstance can a boat land more than a total of 150 Chinook or 80 coho in any open period.
(3) The Grays Harbor and Columbia River Control Zones are closed.
(4) Minimum size for Chinook salmon is 28 inches in length. Minimum size for Coho salmon is 16 inches in length. No minimum size for pink, sockeye, or chum salmon, except no chum retention north of Cape Alava, Washington, in August and September. It is unlawful to possess wild coho salmon.
(5) Lawful troll gear is restricted to all legal troll gear with single-point, single-shank barbless hooks.
(6) Fishers must land and deliver their catch within 24 hours of any closure of a fishery provided for in this section, and vessels fishing or in possession of salmon while fishing north of Leadbetter Point must land and deliver their fish within the area and north of Leadbetter Point. Vessels fishing or in possession of salmon while fishing south of Leadbetter Point must land and deliver their fish within the area and south of Leadbetter Point.
(7) Grays Harbor Control Zone is defined as the area inside a line from the Westport Lighthouse (46°53.18' N latitude; 124°07.01' W longitude) to Buoy #2 (46°52.42' N latitude; 124°12.42' W longitude) to Buoy #3 (46°55.00' N latitude; 124°14.48' W longitude) to the Grays Harbor north jetty (46°36.00' N latitude; 124°10.51' W longitude).
(8) Columbia Control Zone – This is defined as an area at the Columbia River mouth, bounded on the west by a line running northeast/southwest between the red lighted Buoy #4 (46°13'35" N. Lat., 124°06'50" W. long.) and the green lighted Buoy #7 (46°15'09' N. lat., 124°06'16" W. long.); on the east, by the Buoy #10 line, which bears north/south at 357° true from the south jetty at 46°14'00" N. lat., 124°03'07" W. long, to its intersection with the north jetty; on the north, by a line running northeast/southwest between the green lighted Buoy #7 to the tip of the north jetty (46°14'48" N. lat., 124°05'20" W. long.), and then along the north jetty to the point of intersection with the Buoy #10 line; and, on the south, by a line running northeast/southwest between the red lighted Buoy #4 and tip of the south jetty (46°14'03" N. lat., 124°04'05" W. long.), and then along the south jetty to the point of intersection with the Buoy #10 line.
(9) It is unlawful to fish in Salmon Management and Catch Reporting Areas 1, 2, 3 or 4 with fish on board taken south of Cape Falcon, Oregon; and all fish taken from Salmon Management and Catch Reporting Areas 1, 2, 3, and 4 must be landed before fishing south of Cape Falcon, Oregon.
(10) It is unlawful for wholesale dealers and trollers retailing their fish to fail to report their landing by 10:00 a.m. the day following landing. Ticket information can be telephoned in by calling 1-866-791-1279, or faxing the information to (360) 902-2949, or e-mailing to trollfishtickets@dfw.wa.gov. Report the dealer name, the dealer license number, the purchasing location, the date of purchase, the fish ticket numbers, the gear used, the catch area, the species, the total number for each species, and the total weight for each species, including halibut.
Reviser's note: The typographical error in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appears in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.
REPEALER
The following section of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed:
WAC 220-24-04000W
All-citizen commercial salmon troll. (13-187)