Date of Adoption: October 16, 2003.

     Purpose: Amend personal use fishing rules.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-56-282.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 03-13-086 on June 16, 2003.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: April 1, 2004.

October 21, 2003

Susan Yeager

for Will Roehl, Chair

Fish and Wildlife Commission

OTS-6417.1

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Order 02-53 [03-209], filed 3/29/02 [8/20/03], effective 5/1/02 [9/20/03])

WAC 220-56-282   Sturgeon -- Areas, seasons, limits and unlawful acts.   (1) It is lawful to fish for sturgeon the entire year in saltwater and open in freshwater concurrent with a salmon or gamefish opening unless otherwise provided, except:

     (a) It is unlawful to fish for sturgeon from a floating device May 1 through July 15 downstream from the boating deadline below Bonneville Dam to markers on the Oregon and Washington shores of the Columbia River at Beacon Rock;

     (b) It is unlawful to fish for sturgeon inside the south navigation lock at Bonneville Dam from a marker on the westernmost point of Robins Island to a marker on the Oregon mainland shore; and

     (c) It is unlawful to fish for sturgeon in those waters of the Columbia River between the upstream line of Bonneville Dam and the lowermost Bonneville power line crossing, except when fishing with hand-casted hook and line gear from the mainland shore downstream of a line from a fishing boundary on the Washington shore approximately three-quarters of a mile below the dam to the downstream end of Cascade Island, thence to the Oregon fishing boundary marker on Bradford Island, located approximately 850 feet downstream from the fish ladder entrance.

     (2) The daily limit is one sturgeon, with the following size restrictions:

     (a) Minimum size 48 inches in length in the Columbia River and tributaries upstream from The Dalles Dam.

     (b) Minimum size 42 inches in length in all other state waters.

     (c) Maximum size 60 inches in length.

     Once the daily limit has been retained, it is lawful to continue to fish for sturgeon in the mainstem of the Columbia River downstream from where the river forms the boundary between Oregon and Washington, provided that all subsequent sturgeon are released immediately.

     (3) The possession limit is two daily limits of fresh, frozen or processed sturgeon.

     (4) There is an annual personal use limit of ((ten)) five sturgeon from April 1 through March 31, regardless of where the sturgeon were taken. After the annual limit of sturgeon has been taken, it is lawful to continue to fish for sturgeon in the mainstem Columbia River downstream from where the river forms the common boundary between Oregon and Washington, provided that all subsequent sturgeon are released immediately.

     (5) It is unlawful to fish for sturgeon with terminal gear other than bait and single barbless hooks. It is lawful to use artificial scent with bait when fishing for sturgeon.

     (6) It is unlawful to fish for or possess sturgeon taken for personal use from freshwater, except the Chehalis River, from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.

     (7) It is unlawful to possess in the field sturgeon eggs without having retained the intact carcass of the fish from which the eggs have been removed.

     (8) It is unlawful to use a gaff or other fish landing aid that penetrates the fish while restraining, handling or landing a sturgeon.

     (9) It is unlawful to fail to immediately return to the water any undersize sturgeon.

     (10) It is unlawful to totally or partially remove oversize sturgeon from the water.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.047. 02-08-048 (Order 02-53), § 220-56-282, filed 3/29/02, effective 5/1/02; 01-06-036 (Order 01-24), § 220-56-282, filed 3/5/01, effective 5/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 95-04-066 (Order 95-10), § 220-56-282, filed 1/30/95, effective 5/1/95; 91-08-054 (Order 91-13), § 220-56-282, filed 4/2/91, effective 5/3/91; 90-06-026, § 220-56-282, filed 2/28/90, effective 3/31/90; 89-07-060 (Order 89-12), § 220-56-282, filed 3/16/89.]

     Reviser's note: RCW 34.05.395 requires the use of underlining and deletion marks to indicate amendments to existing rules. The rule published above varies from its predecessor in certain respects not indicated by the use of these markings.

     Reviser's note: The bracketed material preceding the section above was supplied by the code reviser's office.

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