WSR 26-15-087
EMERGENCY RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FISH AND WILDLIFE
[Order 26-128—Filed July 16, 2026, 3:55 p.m., effective July 18, 2028 [2026]]
Effective Date of Rule: July 18, 2028 [2026].
Purpose: This emergency rule opens salmon fishing in Catch Record Card Area 5 daily and allows retention of up to two hatchery Chinook.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-313-060.
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: This emergency rule is necessary to modify salmon seasons in Catch Record Card Area 5. Catch estimates for the Marine Area 5 Chinook fishery indicate the fishery has reached 15 percent of the total legal-sized encounters limit (657 of 4,323), through July 11. Based on estimates to date, sufficient total legal-size encounters remain under fishery guidelines to allow the fishery to open seven days per week and allow retention of up to two hatchery Chinook per day. The department of fish and wildlife arrived at this decision in consultation with the Puget Sound sportfishing advisory group and representatives of the Sekiu fishing community. 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Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: July 16, 2026.
Amy H. Windrope
for Kelly Susewind
Director
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-313-06000PPuget Sound salmon—Saltwater seasons and daily limits.
Effective July 18 through July 31, 2026, salmon rules for Catch Record Card Area 5 shall be modified as described in this section. All other provisions of WAC 220-313-060 not addressed in this section, or unless otherwise amended by emergency rule, remain in effect:
Catch Record Card Area 5:
(a) Salmon open daily.
(b) Daily limit 2 salmon. Release chum, sockeye, wild coho, and wild Chinook.