Background:

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is authorized to conduct experimental or trial emerging commercial fisheries. An emerging commercial fishery allows for the commercial taking of a newly classified fish, a formally classified fish with a new gear type, or a formally classified fish in a new geographic area. Trial emerging fisheries allow for an unlimited number of participants. Experimental emerging fisheries allow the WDFW to limit the number of authorized participants. Fisheries with a limited number of allowable participants are called limited-entry fisheries.

An emerging fishery was created for coastal spot shrimp in 1999. The Director of the WDFW (Director) is authorized to issue a total of 15 experimental permits for an annual fishery that is open March 15 through September 15. During the annual time window, fishery participants are permitted to harvest up to a total of 200,000 pounds of spot shrimp in combined catch using a maximum of 500 shrimp pots per participant. Experimental fishery participants are prohibited from an incidental catch of any salmon, bottomfish species, or more than 50 pounds of other shrimp species. Octopus and squid incidental catch are permissible.

Spot shrimp (also known as Pandalus platyceros) is the largest species of shrimp found on the west coast of North America and can be found in subtidal rocky and sandy habitats from San Diego, California to waters off of Unalaska Island, Alaska. Spot shrimp are reddish with longitudinal white stripes on the carapace and a distinctive white spot on the sides of the first and fifth abdominal segments.

Summary:

A new limited-entry commercial fishery license is created. This new license, the Washington-coastal spot shrimp pot fishery license (spot shrimp license), allows the holder to use spot shrimp pot gear to fish for spot shrimp, possess spot shrimp, and arrive at port with spot shrimp. The annual fee for the new license is $185 for residents and $295 for non-residents. Each spot shrimp license holder must designate a corresponding vessel meeting designated size requirements that is owned or operated by the license holder to use in the fishery.

The spot shrimp license is a limited-entry license that must be renewed prior to the end of each calendar year to remain active. Only participants in the 2010 coastal spot shrimp experimental emerging commercial fishery, and transferees from a 2010 fishery participant, may purchase an initial spot shrimp license. Initial spot shrimp license holders are eligible to transfer their license beginning in the year 2012.

Although the initial offering of spot shrimp licenses is limited to participants in the 2010 emerging fishery, the Director may, after the 2012 session, extend offers to additional participants. Participant expansion may only occur after taking into consideration the population status of the resource, the market for spot shrimp, and the number of harvesters actively engaged in state and tribal spot shrimp fisheries. However, the total number of spot shrimp licenses offered by the WDFW may not exceed eight.

Possession of a spot shrimp license does not confer any right of compensation should the fishery be closed by the Legislature. License possession also does not guarantee that the Fish and Wildlife Commission (Commission) will open a spot shrimp fishery in any given year.

The WDFW must present a report to the Legislature in 2016 regarding the spot shrimp fishery. The report must include any recommendations to change the fishery and a summary of the impacts of removing spot shrimp from the marine ecosystem.

House	98	0
Senate	46	0