DEPARTMENT OF

FISH AND WILDLIFE

Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-33-010, WAC 220-33-020, and WAC 220-33-030, it is unlawful for a person to take or possess salmon, sturgeon, and shad for commercial purposes from Columbia River Salmon Management and Catch Reporting Areas 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and Select Areas, except during the times and conditions listed below:

(a) Dates: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday April 7, 2015.

(b) Area: SMCRA 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E (Zones 1-5).

(c) Sanctuaries: Grays River, Elochoman-B, Abernathy Creek, Cowlitz River, Kalama-B, Lewis-B, Sandy, and Washougal rivers.

(d) Allowable Possession: Adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon and shad. Landing limits in place: A maximum of 8 adult adipose fin clipped Chinook may be possessed or sold by each participating vessel. The first 8 adult hatchery fish must be retained and no additional drifts may be conducted once the Chinook limit has been retained. Jacks (Chinook less than 24-inches in total length) do not count against the adult landing limit.

(e) Gear: Drift nets only. 4 1/4" maximum mesh size (tangle net). Single-wall multi-filament net only. Monofilament tangle nets are not allowed. Mesh size is determined by placing three consecutive meshes under hand tension, and the measurement is taken from the inside of one vertical knot to the inside of the opposite vertical knot of the center mesh. Hand tension means sufficient linear tension to draw opposing knots of meshes into contact. Net length not to exceed 150 fathoms. There are no restrictions on the use of slackers or stringers to slacken the net vertically. There are no restrictions on the hang ratio. The hang ratio is used to horizontally add slack to the net and is determined by the length of the web per length of the corkline.

Net length may be increased from 150 to 175 fathoms for nets constructed with a steelhead excluder panel, weedlines, or droppers. An optional use of a steelhead excluder panel of mesh may be hung between the corkline and the 4 1/4" maximum mesh size tangle net. The excluder panel web must be a minimum mesh size of 12" stretched measure when taut under hand tension. Monofilament mesh is allowed for the excluder panel only. The excluder panel must be a minimum of five feet in depth and must not exceed ten feet in depth as measured from the corkline to the upper margin of the tangle net mesh as the net hangs naturally from a taut corkline. Weedlines or droppers (bobber type) may be used in place of the steelhead excluder panel. A weedline-type excluder means the net is suspended below the corkline by lines of no less than five feet in length between the corkline and the upper margin of the tangle net. A dropper-type excluder means the entire net is suspended below the surface of the water by lines of no less than five feet in length extending from individual surface floats to a submersed corkline. The corkline cannot be capable of floating the net in its entirety (including the leadline) independent of the attached floats. Weedlines or droppers must extend a minimum of five feet above the 4 1/4" maximum mesh size tangle net. Tangle nets constructed with a steelhead excluder panel, weedlines, or droppers must have two red corks at each end of the net, as well as the red corks as required under subsection (1)(f)(ii) of this section.

(i) Soak times are defined as the time elapsed from when the first of the gillnet web is deployed into the water until the gillnet web is fully retrieved from the water, must not exceed 45 minutes.

(ii) Red corks are required at 25-fathom intervals, and red corks must be in contrast to the corks used in the remainder of the net.

(iii) Recovery Box: Each boat will be required to have on board two operable recovery boxes or one box with two chambers. Each chamber of the recovery box(es) must include an operating water pumping system capable of delivering a minimum flow of 16 gallons per minute, not to exceed 20 gallons per minute of freshwater per chamber. Each box and chamber and associated pump shall be operating during any time that the net is being retrieved or picked. Each chamber of the recovery box must meet the following dimensions as measured from within the box: the inside length measurement must be at or within 39 1/2 inches to 48 inches; the inside width measurements must be at or within 8 to 10 inches; and the inside height measurement must be at or within 14 to 16 inches.

Each chamber of the recovery box must include a water inlet hole between 3/4 inch and 1 inch in diameter, centered horizontally across the door or end wall of the chamber and 1 3/4 inches from the floor of the chamber. Each chamber of the recovery box must include a water outlet hole that is a least 1 1/2 inches in diameter located on either the same or opposite end as the inlet. The center of the outlet hole must be located a minimum of 12 inches above the floor of the box or chamber.

The fisher must demonstrate to WDFW and ODFW employees, fish and wildlife enforcement officers, or other peace officers, upon request, that the pumping system is delivering the proper volume of fresh river water into each chamber.

All sturgeon, non-adipose fin-clipped salmon, and steelhead must be released immediately to the river with care and with the least possible injury to the fish, or placed into an operating recovery box.

Any salmonid that is bleeding or lethargic must be placed in the recovery box prior to being released. All fish placed in recovery boxes must be released to the river prior to landing or docking.

(iv) Observer program: As a condition of fishing, owners or operators of commercial fishing vessels must cooperate with department observers or observers collecting data for the department, when notified by the observer of his or her intent to board the commercial vessel for observation and sampling during the fishery. In addition, cooperation with department personal prior to a fishing period is expected.

(v) Live Capture workshop: Only licensed Columbia River commercial fishers that have completed the required state-sponsored workshop concerning live-capture commercial fishing techniques may participate in this fishery. At least one fisher on each boat must have live-capture certification.

(a) Dates: Open hours are 7 PM to 7 AM Tuesday and Thursday nights from April 16 through May 1, 2015, and Monday and Thursday nights from May 4 through June 12, 2015.

(b) Area: From USCG navigation marker #16 upstream to the Highway 4 Bridge.

(c) Gear: Gillnets. 9 3/4-inch maximum mesh. Nets are restricted to 100 fathoms in length with no weight restriction on leadline. Use of additional weights or anchors attached directly to the leadline is allowed. Nets cannot be tied off to stationary structures. Nets may not fully cross navigation channel. It is unlawful to operate in any river, stream or channel any gillnet longer than three-fourths the width of the stream (WAC 220-20-015)(1). It shall be unlawful in any area to use, operate, or carry aboard a commercial fishing vessel a licensed net or combination of such nets, whether fished singly or separately, in excess of the maximum lawful size or length prescribed for a single net in that area, except as otherwise provided for in the rules and regulations of the department (WAC 220-20-010)(17).

(d) Miscellaneous: Transportation or possession of fish outside the fishing area (except to the sampling station) is unlawful until WDFW staff has biologically sampled individual catches. After sampling, fishers will be issued a transportation permit by WDFW staff. During the winter season, fishers are required to call 360-795-0319 to confirm the place and time of sampling. In the spring season, a sampling station will be established at WDFW's Oneida Road boat ramp, about 0.5 miles upstream of the lower Deep River area boundary (USCG navigation marker #16).

(e) Allowable possession: Salmon and shad

(a) Dates: April 21 from 8 PM-midnight, Thursday night April 23 from 9 PM-3 AM. Tuesday night April 28 from 7 PM-7 AM. Thursday night April 30 from 7 PM to 7 AM and Monday and Thursday nights from May 4 through June 12, 2015.

(b) Area: Tongue Point fishing area includes all waters bounded by a line extended from the upstream (southern most) pier (#1) at the Tongue Point Job Corps facility, through navigation marker #6 to Mott Island; a line from a marker at the southeast end of Mott Island, northeasterly to a marker on the northwest tip of Lois Island; and a line from a marker on the southwest end of Lois Island, westerly to a marker on the Oregon shore.

The South Channel area includes all waters bounded by a line from a marker on John Day Point through the green USCG buoy #7 to a marker on the southwest end of Lois Island, upstream to an upper boundary line from a marker on Settler Point, northwesterly to the flashing red USCG marker #10, and northwesterly to a marker on Burnside Island defining the upstream terminus of South Channel.

(c) Gear: Gillnets. 9 3/4-inch maximum mesh. In the Tongue Point fishing area, gear restricted to a maximum net length of 250 fathoms, and weight not to exceed two pounds on any one fathom. In the South Channel fishing area, gear restricted to a maximum net length of 250 fathoms, no weight restriction on leadline, and use of additional weights or anchors attached directly to the leadline is allowed.

(d) Miscellaneous: Permanent transportation rules in effect.

(e) Allowable possession: Salmon and shad

(a) Dates: Tuesday and Thursday nights from April 21 through May 1 and Monday and Thursday nights from May 4 through June 12, 2015. Open hours are 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

(b) Area: Blind Slough and Knappa Slough areas are both open. From May 4 through June 12, 2015, the lower boundary of the Knappa Slough fishing area is extended downstream to boundary lines defined by markers on the west end of Minaker Island to markers on Karlson Island and the Oregon Shore (fall season boundary).

(c) Gear: Gillnets. 9 3/4-inch maximum mesh. Nets are restricted to 100 fathoms in length, with no weight restriction on leadline. Use of additional weights or anchors attached directly to the leadline is allowed.

(d) Allowable possession: Salmon and shad

(a) 24-hour quick reporting is in effect for Washington buyers (WAC 220-69-240 (14)(d)). Permanent transportation rules in effect.

(b) Multi-Net Rule: Nets not specifically authorized for use in these areas may be onboard a vessel if properly stored (WAC 220-33-001(2)).

(c) Lighted Buoys: Nets that are fished at any time between official sunset and official sunrise must have lighted buoys on both ends of the net unless the net is attached to the boat. If the net is attached to the boat, then one lighted buoy on the opposite end of the net from the boat is required.

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.