WSR 25-11-006
EMERGENCY RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FISH AND WILDLIFE
[Order 25-74—Filed May 8, 2025, 10:27 a.m., effective May 8, 2025, 10:27 a.m.]
Effective Date of Rule: Immediately upon filing.
Purpose: This emergency rule:
WAC 220-340-52000E:
(1) Maintains areas open to commercial spot shrimp harvest effective in Puget Sound.
(2) Designates the commercial spot shrimp catch accounting periods and catch limits.
(3) Implements a reduced pot limit in Region 5 concurrent with RCW
77.50.100.
(4) Opens Subregions 1B and 1C to commercial nonspot shrimp pot harvest effective immediately.
(5) Maintains areas open to commercial nonspot shrimp harvest effective in Puget Sound.
(6) Designates the commercial nonspot shrimp catch accounting periods and biweekly catch limit for harvest from Regions 1 and 2E.
WAC 220-340-53000H:
(1) Opens Subregions 1B and 1C to commercial shrimp trawl effective immediately.
(2) Maintains areas open to commercial shrimp trawl harvest in Puget Sound.
(3) Designates hard opening for Puget Sound beam trawl areas.
(4) Designates early opening dates for select areas contingent on observer coverage.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-340-52000D and 220-340-53000G; and amending WAC 220-340-520 and 220-340-530.
Under RCW
34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest.
Reasons for this Finding: Permanent rules regulating state commercial shrimp harvest in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca require the adoption of harvest seasons contained in this emergency rule. This emergency rule is necessary to prosecute state commercial shrimp pot and trawl fisheries in Puget Sound. These rules delay nonspot harvest in Subregions 1B and 1C to allow for more time to evaluate the ovigery status of shrimp and structure fisheries that minimize interaction with egg-bearing females. This rule allows harvesters to respond to dynamic changes in market conditions and promotes full utilization of both the commercial spot and nonspot shares. These rules are in congruence with comanager agreements. There is insufficient time to adopt permanent rules.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 2, Amended 0, Repealed 2.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: May 8, 2025.
Kelly Susewind
Director
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-340-52000ECommercial shrimp pot fishery—Puget Sound.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-520, effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes using pot gear in Puget Sound except as provided for in this section:
(1) Spot Shrimp Pot Harvest:
(a) Spot shrimp harvest is permitted as indicated in the following table opening one hour before official sunrise on the first day of the open period. Any closures take effect one hour after official sunset on the closing day.
Geographical Management Unit (WAC 220-320-140; WAC 220-320-120) | Open Period |
Subregion 1A | Closed. |
Subregion 1B | Open until further notice. |
Subregion 1C | Open until further notice. |
Region 2E | Closed. |
Region 2W | Closed |
Subarea 23A-E | Open until further notice. |
Subarea 23A-W | Open until further notice. |
Subarea 23A-C and MSFS Catch Area 23B | Open until further notice. |
Subarea 23A-S and MSFS Catch Area 23D | Open until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 23C | Open until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 25A, excluding the Discovery Bay Shrimp District | Open until further notice. |
Discovery Bay Shrimp District | Closed. |
MFSF Catch Area 29 (Straits - Neah Bay) | Open until further notice. |
Subarea 26B-1 and MFSF Catch Area 26C | Closed. |
Subarea 26B-2 | Closed. |
Region 5 | Closed. |
MFSF Catch Area 26D | Closed. |
MFSF Catch Areas 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D | Closed. |
(b) The first spot shrimp catch accounting period started one hour before official sunrise on May 1, 2025, and proceeds until one hour after official sunset on July 29, 2025.
It is unlawful for the combined total harvest during the first spot shrimp accounting period to have exceeded 5,000 pounds of spot shrimp per license from all Geographical Management Units combined, except for MFSF Catch Area 29.
Catch from MFSF Catch Area 29 does not contribute towards a license's catch accounting period harvest limit.
(c) The second spot shrimp catch accounting period will start one hour before official sunrise on July 30, and proceed until one hour after official sunset on August 19, 2025.
(d) Harvesters may deploy no more than 50 spot shrimp pots per license in Shrimp Management Region 5.
(e) Spot shrimp harvested from different geographical management units (as noted in subsection (1)(a)) on the same day must be kept physically separate and labeled with the MFSF Catch Area of harvest.
(f) It is lawful to possess deactivated non-spot shrimp pots on-board a commercial vessel that is listed on a Puget Sound shrimp pot license while fishing for spot shrimp.
A deactivated pot is un-baited, has the drawstring or door fastened open, and/or is unable to be readily fished.
(2) Non-spot shrimp pot harvests:
(a) Non-spot shrimp pot harvest is permitted as indicated in the following table opening one hour before official sunrise on the first day of the open period. Any closures take effect one hour after official sunset on the closing day.
| Geographical Management Unit (WAC 220-320-140; WAC 220-320-120) | Open Period | |
| Subregion 1A | Open until further notice. | |
| Subregion 1B | Immediately, until further notice. | |
| Subregion 1C | Immediately, until further notice. | |
| Region 2E | Open until further notice. | |
| Region 2W | Open until further notice. | |
| Region 3, not including Discovery Bay Shrimp District | Open until further notice. | |
| Discovery Bay Shrimp District | Open until further notice. | |
| Region 4 | Closed | |
| Region 5 | Closed | |
| Region 6 | Closed | |
(b) The non-spot shrimp catch accounting periods begin one hour before official sunrise and end one hour after official sunset on the date listed in the following table:
| Period Number | Start Date | End Date | |
| 1 | 5/1/2025 | 5/13/2025 | |
| 2 | 5/14/2025 | 5/27/2025 | |
| 3 | 5/28/2025 | 6/10/2025 | |
| 4 | 6/11/2025 | 6/24/2025 | |
| 5 | 6/25/2025 | 7/8/2025 | |
| 6 | 7/9/2025 | 7/22/2025 | |
| 7 | 7/23/2025 | 8/5/2025 | |
| 8 | 8/6/2025 | 8/19/2025 | |
| 9 | 8/20/2025 | 9/2/2025 | |
| 10 | 9/3/2025 | 9/16/2025 | |
| 11 | 9/17/2025 | 9/30/2025 | |
| 12 | 10/1/2025 | 10/15/2025 | |
(c) It is unlawful for total harvest of non-spot shrimp to exceed 1,400 pounds per non-spot shrimp catch accounting period from subregions 1B, 1C, and Region 2E combined during catch accounting periods 1 through 12.
(d) There is no weekly harvest limit of non-spot shrimp from sub-region 1A, Region 2W, Region 3, or the Discovery Bay Shrimp District.
(e) Non-spot shrimp harvested from different geographical management units (as noted in subsection (2)(a)) on the same day must be kept physically separate and labeled with the MFSF Catch Area they were harvested from.
(f) It is lawful to possess deactivated spot shrimp pots on-board of a commercial vessel that is listed on a Puget Sound shrimp pot license while fishing for non-spot shrimp.
A deactivated pot is un-baited, has the drawstring or door fastened open, and/or is unable to be readily fished.
Reviser's note: The typographical errors in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040. NEW SECTION
WAC 220-340-53000HCommercial shrimp trawl fishery—Puget Sound.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-530, effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes using beam trawl gear in Puget Sound except as provided for in this section:
(a) Non-spot shrimp beam trawl harvest is permitted starting one hour before official sunrise on the season opening dates listed for each of the areas detailed in this subsection. Any closures take effect one hour after official sunset on the closing day.
Geographic Area Description ((WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) | Open period |
Catch Area 20A outside of those waters north and east of a line from Point Roberts Light (48.9716°, -123.0838°) to Sandy Point Light at the Lummi Reservation (48.7868°, -122.7124°) | August 1, 2025, until further notice. |
Those waters within the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle. | July 1, 2025, until further notice. |
Those waters of South Lopez Sound. | July 10, 2025, until further notice. |
All waters within subregion 1B, excluding those waters of South Lopez Sound, the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle. | June 16, 2025, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A East, MFSF Catch Areas 23B, and MFSF Catch Area 25A outside of the Discovery Bay Shrimp District. | Immediately, 2025, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A West | Immediately, 2025, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 23C | Immediately, 2025, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 29 | Immediately, 2025, until further notice. |
(b) Non-spot shrimp beam trawl harvest is permitted starting one hour before official sunrise in the areas detailed in this subsection. To participate in the fisheries listed in this subsection harvesters are required to take a WDFW on-board observer on their first trip to these areas. If by-catch sampling criteria are not met these areas will open on the later dates described in WAC 220-340-530 (7)(d) and (7)(e).
Geographic Area Description ((WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) | Open period |
Those waters within the Rosario Box. | Immediately, 2025 |
Those waters of subregion 1B, not including the Rosario Box, the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle and South Lopez Sound. | Immediately, 2025 |
(c) Non-spot shrimp beam trawl harvest is not permitted in the areas of Shrimp Management Regions 1 and 3 detailed in this subsection.
Geographic Area Description (WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) |
Discovery Bay Shrimp District |
Sequim Bay CSMA |
MFSF Catch Area 23D |
Subregion 1A |
Reviser's note: The typographical errors in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040. REPEALER
The following sections of Washington Administrative Code are repealed, effective immediately:
WAC 220-340-52000D | Commercial shrimp pot fishery—Puget Sound. (25-64) |
WAC 220-340-53000G | Commercial shrimp trawl fishery—Puget Sound. (25-64) |