Date of Adoption: February 8, 2003.

     Purpose: Amend coastal shrimp commercial fishery rules.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-52-050.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 03-02-030 on December 23, 2002.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
     Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

February 14, 2003

Susan Yeager

for Will Roehl, Chair

Fish and Wildlife Commission

OTS-5172.3

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Order 00-165, filed 8/22/00, effective 9/22/00)

WAC 220-52-050   Ocean pink shrimp trawl fishery -- Coastal waters.   It is unlawful to fish for, possess or deliver ocean pink shrimp taken for commercial purposes from the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone except as provided for in this section:

     (1) Ocean pink shrimp fishery:

     (a) The open season for trawl gear is April 1 through October 31 of each year.

     (b) The following gear is prohibited: Trawl gear having a net mesh size greater than two inches in the intermediate or codend, except for net mesh used in fish excluder devices. It is lawful to have net mesh larger than two inches in the wings or body of the trawl.

     (c) It is unlawful to fish with trawl gear for pink shrimp for commercial purposes unless an approved by-catch reduction device is used in each net. Approved by-catch reductions devices are:

     (i) Soft Panel By-catch Reduction Device which uses a mesh panel to guide fish out of an escape hole. An approved soft-panel must meet the following criteria:

     (A) The panel must completely cover some portion of the net in cross-section, meaning it must extend completely across the full opening of the net in one continuous piece. The panel must be securely fastened to the net around the entire perimeter, such that a 110 mm diameter sphere cannot pass beyond the panel into the terminal end of the codend;

     (B) The panel meshes must be constructed of netting material with individual meshes no larger than 5.5 inches, measured between opposing knots and must be constructed of a single panel of continuous netting, without zippers or other devices designed to allow disabling of the panel such that large fish can pass back into the codend;

     (C) The escape hole must, when spread open, expose a hole of at least 100 square inches;

     (D) The escape hole must be forward of the mesh panel and must begin within four meshes of the furthest aft point of attachment of the mesh panel to the net;

     (ii) Nordmore Grate By-catch Reduction Device uses a rigid panel of narrowly spaced vertical bars to guide fish out of an escape hole in front of the panel, generally in the top of the net. An approved Nordmore grate must meet the following criteria:

     (A) The exterior circumference of the rigid panel must fit completely within the interior circumference of the trawl net, such that there is no space between the panel and the net that will allow a 110 mm sphere to pass beyond the panel, into the terminal area of the codend;

     (B) None of the openings between the vertical bars in the rigid panel may exceed two inches in width;

     (C) The escape hole must, when spread open, expose a hole of at least 100 square inches;

     (D) The escape hole must be forward of the rigid panel and must begin within four meshes of the furthest aft point of attachment of the rigid panel to the net.

     (d) All by-catch reduction devices and codends used for trawl fishing for pink shrimp must be readily accessible and made available for inspection at the request of an authorized agent of the state. No trawl gear may be removed from the vessel prior to offloading of shrimp.

     (e) It is unlawful to modify by-catch reduction devices in any way that interferes with their ability to allow fish to escape from the trawl, except for the purpose of testing the by-catch reduction device to measure shrimp loss. Authorized testing of by-catch reduction devices must meet the following criteria:

     (i) Testing is allowed by special permit only, consistent with the terms and conditions of the permit;

     (ii) For vessels fishing two nets simultaneously (double-rigged boats), only one net may contain a disabled by-catch reduction device, the other net must be fishing a fully functional by-catch reduction device as described in (c) of this subsection.

     (((c))) (f) Minimum number of shrimp per pound: The count per pound must average no more than 160 shrimp per pound for a minimum of two samples increasing at a rate of one sample per one thousand pounds landed or in possession up to a maximum requirement of twenty samples. Such samples shall consists of at least one pound of each of whole unbroken shrimp taken at random from throughout the individual load landed or in possession. This shall apply only to loads of 3,000 pounds of shrimp or more.

     (((d))) (g) Incidental catch-finfish: It is unlawful to take salmon incidental to any shrimp fishery. It is unlawful to retain any bottomfish species taken incidental to shrimp trawl fishery except as provided for in WAC 220-44-050.

     (((e))) (h) Incidental catch-shellfish:

     (i) It is unlawful to retain any species of shellfish except that it is lawful to retain up to 50 pounds round weight of other shrimp species taken incidentally in the ocean pink shrimp fishery, or octopus or squid.

     (ii) It is unlawful to fish for ocean pink shrimp within the territorial boundaries of the state.

     (((f))) (i) An ocean pink shrimp delivery license is the license required to operate the gear provided for in this section, and allows the operator to retain shrimp taken in the waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone.

     (2) Fisheries for shrimp species other than ocean pink shrimp or ocean spot shrimp: Species other than ocean pink shrimp and ocean spot shrimp may only be taken incidentally to the ocean pink shrimp and ocean spot shrimp fisheries.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.047. 00-17-145 (Order 00-165), § 220-52-050, filed 8/22/00, effective 9/22/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 99-01-154 (Order 98-257), § 220-52-050, filed 12/22/98, effective 1/22/99; 94-12-009 (Order 94-23), § 220-52-050, filed 5/19/94, effective 6/19/94; 93-15-051, § 220-52-050, filed 7/14/93, effective 8/14/93; 87-23-006 (Order 87-187), § 220-52-050, filed 11/6/87; 84-08-014 (Order 84-24), § 220-52-050, filed 3/27/84; 83-04-025 (Order 83-04), § 220-52-050, filed 1/27/83; 82-03-045 (Order 82-6), § 220-52-050, filed 1/19/82; 80-13-064 (Order 80-123), § 220-52-050, filed 9/17/80; 79-02-053 (Order 79-6), § 220-52-050, filed 1/30/79; Order 76-152, § 220-52-050, filed 12/17/76; Order 76-26, § 220-52-050, filed 1:45 p.m., 4/20/76; Order 1242, § 220-52-050, filed 8/7/75, effective 9/16/75; Order 1179, § 220-52-050, filed 11/19/74; Order 1112, § 220-52-050, filed 4/15/74; Order 945, § 220-52-050, filed 8/16/71; Order 807, § 220-52-050, filed 1/2/69, effective 2/1/69; subsections 1, 5, 6 from Orders 414 and 256, filed 3/1/60; subsection 2 from Orders 420 and 256, filed 3/1/60; subsection 3 from Order 525, filed 5/3/61; Orders 414 and 256, filed 3/1/60; subsection 7 from Order 525, filed 5/3/61.]

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