Date of Adoption: September 2, 2003.

     Purpose: Amend commercial fishing regulations.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-47-50100C; and amending WAC 220-47-501.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.

     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: Regulations for the 2003 Puget Sound commercial salmon fishery were discussed at North of Falcon planning meetings in the spring, and subsequently, a package containing permanent regulation changes arising from agreements made by comanagers at those meetings was filed with the Code Reviser's Office under expedited rule procedures. That package of permanent regulations is not yet in effect, and these emergency rules are necessary to initiate fisheries, which are scheduled to commence before those permanent rules will become effective. This regulation provides for the third and final week of the Bellingham Bay limited participation purse seine fishery as negotiated during the North of Falcon.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 1.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
     Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.

September 2, 2003

J. P. Koenings

Director

Lawful gill net gear:

     Lawful gill net gear in Puget Sound Areas 7, and 7A, shall not contain meshes of a size less than 5 inches nor greater than 5 1/2 inches.

Area 6D:

     Skiff Gill Nets - (a) Open to skiff gill nets using 5-inch minimum and 5 1/2-inch maximum mesh from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the following dates: 9/29, 9/30, 10/1, 10/2, 10/3, 10/6, 10/7, 10/8, 10/9, 10/10, 10/13, 10/14, 10/15, 10/16, 10/17, 10/20, 10/21, 10/22, 10/23, 10/24, 10/27, 10/28, 10/29, 10/30, 10/31.

     (b) It is unlawful to retain chinook or pink salmon taken in Area 6D at any time, or any chum salmon taken in Area 6D prior to October 16. Any chinook, chum or pink salmon required to be released, must be removed from the net by cutting the meshes ensnaring the fish.

Areas 7 and 7A:

     Reef Nets - Open to reef net gear according to the times, dates, and conditions as prescribed and listed here:

TIME	DATES
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Daily	September 16 through October 15

     It is unlawful to retain chinook salmon at all times, and it is unlawful to retain wild coho salmon prior to October 1.

     Reef Net Required DNA Tissue Sampling - It is unlawful to retain chum salmon taken with reef net gear prior to October 1 unless the reef net license holder provides the department with 24 hour notice prior to each day of fishing and assists the department with collection of DNA tissue samples from chum salmon. The daily fishing notice to the department must include the reef net license holder's name and a telephone number where they can be contacted, and the notice must be given by one of the following three means:

     (i) FAX transmission to (360) 902-2949;

     (ii) E-mail to psfishtickets@dfw.wa.gov; or

     (iii) Toll-free telephone call to 1-866-791-1279.

Areas 7B and 7C:

     Purse Seines - (a) Open only to the purse seine vessels Norman B and Launi-C from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday September 3, 2003.

     (i) It is unlawful to retain sockeye or coho salmon, and any sockeye or coho salmon caught must be released immediately.

     (ii) It is unlawful to bring salmon aboard a vessel unless all salmon captured in the seine net are removed from the seine net using a brailer or dip net, meeting the specifications in WAC 220-47-325, prior to the seine net being removed from the water.

     (iii) The 5-inch strip requirement is not in effect during this opening.

     (b) Open in Area 7B to purse seines using the 5-inch strip during the following hours and dates, provided it is unlawful to retain sockeye salmon, and any sockeye salmon caught must be released immediately.

Hours	Dates
6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.	9/8, 9/9, 9/10, 9/15, 9/16, 9/17
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.	September 21 through October 25

     Gill Nets - Open to gill nets as follows:

Areas	Mesh Size	Hours	Dates
7B and 7C	7" minimum	7:00 p.m.	September 2 to 8:00 a.m. September 3
		7:00 p.m.	September 4 to 8:00 a.m. September 5.
7B	5" minimum	7:00 p.m.	September 7 to 8:00 a.m. September 8
		7:00 p.m.	September 9 to 8:00 a.m. September 10
		7:00 p.m.	September 11 to 8:00 a.m. September 12
7B	5" minimum	6:00 p.m.	September 14 to 8:00 a.m. September 15
		6:00 p.m.	September 16 to 8:00 a.m. September 17
		6:00 p.m.	September 18 to 8:00 a.m. September 19.
7B	5" minimum	7:00 p.m.	September 21 through 4:00 p.m. October 25

Area 8:

     Purse Seines - Open to purse seines as follows:

Hours	Dates
6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.	9/3

     Gill Nets - Open to gill nets using 5-inch minimum mesh, 5 1/2-inch maximum mesh, and not exceeding 60 meshes in depth, as follows:

Hours	Dates
6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.	9/3

Area 8D:

     Purse Seine - Open to purse seines using the 5-inch strip as follows:

Hours	Dates
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.	9/25, 10/2

     It is unlawful to retain chinook salmon, and any chinook salmon caught with purse seine gear must be released immediately.

     Gill Nets - Open to gill nets using 5-inch minimum mesh as follows:

Hours	Dates
6:00 p.m.	September 21 to 8:00 a.m. September 22
6:00 p.m.	September 23 to 8:00 a.m. September 24
6:00 p.m.	September 25 to 8:00 a.m. September 26
6:00 p.m.	September 28 to 8:00 a.m. September 29
6:00 p.m.	September 30 to 8:00 a.m. October 1
6:00 p.m.	October 2 to 8:00 a.m. October 3

Area 9A:

     Gill Nets - Open to gill nets using 5-inch minimum mesh as follows:

Hours	Dates
Continuously through 4:00 p.m. October 25

Area 12A:

     Beach Seines - (a) Open to holders of beach seine permits from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the following dates: 9/2, 9/3, 9/4, 9/5, 9/8, 9/9, 9/10, 9/11, 9/12, 9/15, 9/16, 9/17, 9/18, 9/19, 9/22, 9/23, 9/24, 9/25, 9/26, 9/29, 9/30, 10/1, 10/2, 10/3.

     (b) Open in those waters of Area 12A lying northerly of a line extending from Whitney Point to the flashing light off Fishermans Point then to Fishermans Point on the Bolton Peninsula, excluding waters within 1000 feet of the western shoreline, as the shoreline is defined by the mean higher high stage of the tide, between Whitney Point and mouth of the Little Quilcene River.

All Other Saltwater and Freshwater Areas: Closed.

     "Quick Reporting" Fisheries: All fisheries opened under this section, and any fishery openings under authority of the Fraser Panel for sockeye or pink salmon in Areas 7 and 7A are designated as "Quick Reporting Required" fisheries.

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     The following section of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed:

WAC 220-47-50100C

Puget Sound all-citizen commercial salmon fishery. (03-216)

© Washington State Code Reviser's Office