EMERGENCY RULES
FISH AND WILDLIFE
Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.
Purpose: Amend commercial fishing rules.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-52-040 and 220-52-046.
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: Mandatory pick rate allowance for coastal crab will be achieved by the opening dates contained herein. The stepped opening periods/areas will also provide for fair-start provisions. Pot limits will reduce the crowding effect in this restricted area. There is insufficient time to adopt 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Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 2, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: November 26, 2008.
J. P. Koenings
Director
(a) A valid Washington crab vessel inspection certificate has been issued to the delivering vessel. Vessel-hold inspection certificates dated from November 30, 2008 to December 25, 2008 are only valid for the area south of 46º28.00 N. Lat.
(b) The vessel inspection certificate numbers are recorded on all shellfish tickets completed for coastal Dungeness crab landings through January 31, 2009.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-52-040, effective immediately until further notice, it is unlawful for persons participating in the Columbia River, Coastal, or Willapa Bay commercial Dungeness crab fishery to:
(a) deploy or operate more than 400 shellfish pots if the permanent number of shellfish pots assigned to the Coastal commercial crab fishery license held by that person is 500.
(b) deploy or operate more than 250 shellfish pots if the permanent number of shellfish pots assigned to the Coastal Dungeness crab fishery license held by that person is 300.
(c) fail to maintain onboard any participating vessel the excess crab pot buoy tags assigned to the Coastal Dungeness crab fishery license being fished.
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-52-040, effective immediately until further notice, it is unlawful to possess or deliver Dungeness crab unless the following conditions are met:
(a) Vessels that participated in the coastal Dungeness crab fishery from Klipsan Beach (46º28.00 North Latitude) to Point Arena, CA, including Willapa Bay and the Columbia River, may possess crab for delivery into Washington ports south of 47º00.00 N. Lat., provided the crab were taken south of Klipsan (46º28.00 N. Lat.).
(b) The vessel does not enter the area north of 47º00.00 N. Lat. unless the operator of the vessel has contacted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and allows a vessel-hold inspection if requested by Fish and Wildlife officers prior to entering this area. Prior to entering the area north of 47º00.00 N. Lat., the vessel operator must call 360-581-3337, and report the vessel name, operator name, estimated amount of crab to be delivered in pounds, and the estimated date, time, and location of delivery 24 hours prior to entering the area.
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(1) Open area: The area from Klipsan Beach (46º28.00) to the WA/OR border (46º15.00) and Willapa Bay.
(2) For the purposes of this order, the waters of Willapa Bay are defined to include the marine waters east of a line connecting 46º44.76 N, 124º05.76 W and 46º38.93 N, 124º04.33 W.
(3) Crab gear may be set beginning at 8:00 a.m., November 28, 2008.
(3) It is permissible to pull crab gear beginning at 12:01 a.m., December 1, 2008.
(4) Vessels that participate in the coastal commercial Dungeness crab fishery in the waters from Point Arena, California, to Klipsan Beach, Washington (46º28.00), including Willapa Bay, before the area north of Klipsan Beach (46º28.00) opens, are prohibited from:
a. Fishing in the area between Klipsan Beach (46º28.00) and Oysterville (46º33.00) until 10 days have elapsed from the time that the area north of Klipsan Beach opens.
b. Fishing in the area between Oysterville (46º33.00) and Destruction Island until 35 days have elapsed from the time that the area north of Oysterville opens.
c. Fishing in the area between Destruction Island and the U.S. Canadian border until 20 days have elapsed from the time that the area north of Destruction Island opens.
(5) All other provisions of the permanent rule remain in effect.
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Reviser's note: The typographical error in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appears in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.