EMERGENCY RULES
FISH AND WILDLIFE
Purpose: Amend commercial fishing rules.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-52-05100P; and amending WAC 220-52-051.
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: The 2005 state/tribal Puget Sound shrimp harvest management plans require adoption of harvest seasons, harvest reporting areas, and the prohibition on night time fishing contained in this emergency rule. Commercial beam trawl shrimp quotas are available in the catch areas opened in this rule. There is insufficient time to promulgate 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Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 1.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: July 5, 2005.
J. P. Koenings
Director
by Larry Peck
(1) Shrimp pot gear:
(a) All waters of Shrimp Management Areas 1A, 1C, Crustacean Management Regions 2, 3, 4 and 6 outside the shrimp districts are open to the harvest of all shrimp species immediately, until further notice, except as provided for in this section:
i) It is unlawful to harvest shrimp for commercial purposes in Marine Fish/Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 26D, 23AE and those waters described in this section as 23A-C.
ii) The Port Townsend Shrimp District is open to the harvest of shrimp species other than spot shrimp, except those waters south of the 48.06' North latitude line, north of the 48.04' North latitude line and east of the 122.46' West longitude line are closed.
(b) The shrimp trip limit accounting week is Monday through Sunday.
(c) Effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful for the combined total harvest of spot shrimp by a fisher and/or the fisher's alternate operator to exceed 600 pounds per week, or to exceed 300 pounds per week from Crustacean Management Regions 2, 4, 6 and 23A-W. Any fisher whose weekly shrimp harvest activity is exclusively limited to Marine Fish-Shellfish Catch and Reporting Area 29, shall not be subject to the weekly spot shrimp trip limit for that week. It is unlawful to fish for any shrimp while in possession, on board the fishing vessel, spot shrimp harvested from the previous trip limit accounting week or weeks.
(d) It is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using shellfish pot gear in more than one Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area per day. Fishers may move all of their shellfish pot gear from one Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area to another Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area if a harvest report is made before the shellfish pot gear is moved. The harvest activity report must be made consistent with the provisions of WAC 220-52-075 and must also include the following additional information.
(i) The number of pots being moved to a new area and the Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area that the pots are being moved to.
(e) It is unlawful to set or pull shellfish pots in one Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area while in possession of shrimp harvested from another Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area except shellfish pots may be set in a new fishing area subsequent to making a report as indicated in Section 1(e) above.
(f) For purposes of shrimp harvest allocation, fishing season, and catch reporting, Marine Fish-Shellfish Catch and Reporting Area 23A is divided into four subareas: 23A-E (east) is those waters of Catch Area 23A north of a line projected 48.22.50' °N latitude east of a line projected 122.57°W longitude. 23A-W (west) is those waters of Catch Area 23A north of a line projected 48.22.50' °N latitude and west of a line projected 122.57°W longitude. 23A-C (central) is those waters of Catch Area 23A south of a line projected 48.22.50' °N latitude and east of a line projected 335 degrees true from the Dungeness lighthouse. 23A-S (south) is those waters of Catch Area 23A west of a line projected 335 degrees true from the Dungeness lighthouse.
(2) Shrimp beam trawl gear:
(a) Crustacean Management Region 3 outside of the shrimp districts is open immediately, until further notice.
(b) That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 20B, 21A and 22A within Shrimp Management Area 1B is open immediately, until further notice.
(c) It is unlawful to set or pull shrimp beam trawl gear from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
(3) All shrimp taken under this section must be sold to licensed Washington wholesale fish dealers.
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The following section of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed:
| WAC 220-52-05100P | Puget Sound shrimp pot and beam trawl fishery -- Season (05-128) |