PERMANENT RULES
FISH AND WILDLIFE
Purpose: Adopt hagfish emerging commercial fishery rules.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 05-16-059 on July 29, 2005.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 4, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: October 8, 2005.
Susan Yeager
for Ron Ozment, Chair
Fish and Wildlife Commission
OTS-8252.1
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-88E-010
Designation of the hagfish pot fishery
as an emerging commercial fishery.
The director designates
the hagfish pot fishery as an emerging commercial fishery for
which use of a vessel is required. It is unlawful to fish
for, possess, or deliver hagfish taken for commercial purposes
unless the fisher has a valid emerging commercial fishery
license and a hagfish pot trial fishery permit.
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(2) Hagfish pot trial fishery permits are not transferable. Only the vessel designated on the emerging commercial fishery license and hagfish pot trial fishery permit may be used to fish for or deliver hagfish.
(3) A hagfish trial fishery permit will be issued only to a natural person who has a valid emerging commercial fishery license.
(4) Incidental catch:
(a) It is unlawful to retain any species other than hagfish.
(b) All species other than hagfish must be carefully handled and returned to the water promptly.
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(1) Season - Open year-round to hagfish pot gear only.
(2) Area - Open only in Pacific Ocean waters greater than 50 fathoms in depth.
(3) Gear restrictions:
(a) Maximum of 50 hagfish pots per permit. Pots may be fished individually or on a common ground line.
(b) Hagfish pot gear requirements:
(i) Maximum entrance tunnel size of eleven square inches. Entrance tunnels may be of any shape.
(ii) Each pot is required to have at least one escape exit of at least nine and one-half square inches in opening and which must be constructed of 120 thread size or smaller untreated cotton twine.
(c) Buoy requirements: Hag fish pot gear must be buoyed. Marker buoys must be floating and visible on the surface of the water, equipped with a pole, flag, radar reflector and operating light, and marked with the clear identification of the permittee. If ground lines are used, ground line end marker buoys must display the number of pots on the ground line.
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