DEPARTMENT OF

FISH AND WILDLIFE

Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-52-051, effective immediately until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound, except as provided for in this section:

(1) Shrimp pot gear:

(a) All waters of Shrimp Management Areas 1A, 1C, 3, 4, and 6 are open to the harvest of all shrimp species, effective immediately, until further notice, except as provided for in this section:

i) All waters of the Discovery Bay Shrimp District and Catch Area 23A-W east of the W 123° 03' longitude line are closed;

ii) All waters of Shrimp Management Areas 4 and 6 and Marine Fish/Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area (Catch Area) 23A-C, 23A-E and 25A are closed to the harvest of spot shrimp; and

iii) All waters of Shrimp Management Areas 1A and 1C are closed to the harvest of all shrimp species other than spot shrimp.

iv) Effective 11:59 p.m. September 3, 2013, all waters of Shrimp Management Areas 1A, 1C and Catch Area 23B are closed.

(b) The spot shrimp catch accounting week is Wednesday through Tuesday.

(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.

(d) It is unlawful to pull shellfish pots in more than one catch area per day.

(e) Only pots with a minimum mesh size of 1 inch may be pulled on calendar days when fishing for or retaining spot shrimp.

i) Mesh size of 1 inch is defined as a mesh opening that a 7/8-inch square peg will pass through, excluding the entrance tunnels, except for flexible (web) mesh pots, where the mesh must be a minimum of 1 3/4-inch stretch measure.

ii) Stretch measure is defined as the distance between the inside of one knot to the outside of the opposite vertical knot of one mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.

(2) The following areas are open to Shrimp beam trawl gear, effective immediately, until further notice.

(a) Shrimp Management Area (SMA) 3 (outside of the Discovery Bay Shrimp District, Sequim Bay and Catch Area 23D). Sequim Bay includes those waters of Catch Area 25A south of a line projected west from Travis Spit on the Miller Peninsula.

(b) Those portions of Catch Areas 20B, 21A and 22A within SMA 1B.

(c) All waters of Catch Area 20A.

(3) It is unlawful to sell shrimp taken under this section to any person who is not a licensed Washington wholesale fish dealer.

Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-52-075, effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful for vessel operators engaged in commercial harvest of shrimp from Puget Sound with shellfish pot gear to fail to report their daily catch by text message, e-mail or FAX to WDFW by 10:00 a.m. the day after the shrimp are harvested. Text message and e-mail daily catch reports must be submitted to shrimpreport@dfw.wa.gov, and FAX reports must be transmitted to FAX number 360.466.0515. Daily catch reports must include the following information as it is recorded on the fish receiving ticket: Fisher name, buyer name, pounds landed per shrimp species, catch area, date of harvest, date of sale, and complete fish ticket serial number, including the first alphanumeric letter. If the fish receiving ticket is faxed as the daily harvest report, the date of harvest must be recorded on the bottom half of the ticket.

Reviser's note: The unnecessary underscoring 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.

Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-69-240, effective immediately until further notice, it is unlawful for the original receiver of shrimp other than ghost shrimp taken from Puget Sound to fail to report in the following manner:

(1) For Puget Sound shrimp - Pot gear: All buyers of shrimp taken by pot gear (including fishers who buy their own catch) are no longer required to report the previous week's purchases by phone or FAX.

(2) Puget Sound shrimp - Trawl gear: All buyers of shrimp taken by trawl gear (including fishers who buy their own catch) must report the previous day's purchases by 10:00 a.m. the following morning. Reports must be made by text message, e-mail or FAX. Text message and e-mail reports must be submitted to shrimpreport@dfw.wa.gov, and FAX reports must be transmitted to FAX number 360.466.0515. Reports must include dealer name, fisher name, pounds sold per shrimp species, catch area, date sold, and the complete fish ticket serial number, including the first alphanumeric letter. Violation of this subsection is a gross misdemeanor, punishable under RCW 77.15.560.

Reviser's note: The unnecessary underscoring 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.