The purpose of this chapter is to license and provide catch reporting requirements for the commercial harvest of wild clams, mussels, and oysters on nonstate lands in an emerging commercial fishery. For purposes of this chapter, "wild" or "wild stocks of" clams, mussels, and oysters means shellfish identified in WAC
220-360-140. That rule distinguishes between the harvest of wild shellfish stocks subject to this chapter and private sector cultured aquatic products not subject to this chapter. These terms, and all provisions of this chapter pertaining to "wild" or "wild stocks of" clams, mussels, and oysters, or to "private sector cultured aquatic product," are for state resource management, catch reporting, and enforcement purposes only. They are neither intended to be, nor should be characterized as, any determination or evidence of whether "wild" or "wild stocks of" clams, mussels, and oysters (or any portion thereof) are naturally occurring, are subject to treaty sharing, or are part of natural or artificial shellfish beds as those concepts and terms are used and defined in
United States v. Washington, 157 F.3d 630 (9th Cir. 1998), the Shellfish Implementation Plan of
United States v. Washington, C70-9213, Subproceeding 89-3 (W.D. Wash, rev. April 8, 2002), and other applicable court orders relating to shellfish.