Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-420, effective immediately until further notice:

(1) It is unlawful for any fisher or wholesale dealer or buyer to land or purchase Dungeness crab taken from Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, Columbia River, or Washington coastal or adjacent waters of the Pacific Ocean from any vessel, unless:

(a) The vessel inspection certificate numbers are recorded on all shellfish tickets completed for coastal Dungeness crab landings until March 13, 2023 and;

(b) A valid Washington crab vessel inspection certificate has been issued to the delivering vessel. Vessel-hold inspection certificates dated from January 31, 2023 through February 4, 2023, are only valid for the area south of 46°28.00 N. Lat.

(2) 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 (46°28.00 North Latitude) to Point Arena, CA, including Willapa Bay and the Columbia River, may possess crab for delivery into Washington ports south of 47°00.00 N. Lat., provided the crab were taken south of Klipsan (46°28.00 N. Lat.).

(b) The vessel does not enter the area north of 47°00.00 N. Lat. unless the operator of the vessel has contacted the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife prior to entering this area. Prior to entering the area north of 47°00.00 N. Lat., the vessel operator must call 360-580-6200, 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.

(3) It is unlawful for a vessel to use more than 200 pots in the Makah SMA beginning 8:00 A.M. March 5. 2023, until 8:00 A.M. April 4, 2023. Fishers must pre-register with the Department of Fish and Wildlife 24 hours prior to deploying gear in this area by one of the three following methods:

• E-mail to Jamie Fuller at Jamie.Fuller@dfw.wa.gov; or

• Telephone call to Jamie Fuller at 360-580-0875.

(4) Unless otherwise amended all other provisions of the permanent rule remain in effect.

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 220-340-450 effective immediately until further notice: it is unlawful to fish for Dungeness crab in Washington coastal waters, the Pacific Ocean, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, or the Columbia River, except as provided in this section.

(1) Open area: The area from the WA/OR border (46°15.00) to the US/Canada border including Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.

(a) Licenses and vessels designated to those licenses that participate in the coastal commercial Dungeness crab fishery in the waters from Point Arena, California, to Klipsan Beach, Washington (46°28.00), including Willapa Bay, before the area north of Klipsan Beach (46°28.00) opens, are prohibited from fishing in the following areas for the durations specified:

i. The waters between Oysterville (46°33.00) and US/Canada Border until 8:00 A.M. March 13, 2023.

(2) The Quinault primary special management area (PSMA) is closed to fishing for Dungeness crab until further notice. The PSMA includes the area shoreward of a line approximating the 27-fathom depth curve between Raft River (47°28.00) and Copalis River (47°08.00) according to the following coordinates:

(3) The Quileute special management area (SMA) is closed to fishing for Dungeness crab until further notice. The SMA includes the area shoreward of a line approximating the 30-fathom depth curve between Destruction Island and Cape Johnson according to the following points:

(4) The Makah special management area (SMA) is closed to fishing until 8:00 AM March 5, 2023. The SMA includes the waters between 48°02.15 N. Lat. and 48°19.50 N. Lat. east of a line connecting those points and approximating the 25-fathom line according to the following coordinates:

(5) Unless otherwise amended all other provisions of the permanent rule remain in effect.