SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6020
As of January 22, 2024
Title: An act relating to establishing a Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery license.
Brief Description: Establishing a Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery license.
Sponsors: Senators Muzzall, Braun and Lovelett.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks: 1/22/24.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Establishes a non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license as a commercial limited entry fishery license.
  • Limits entry to the non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery to current holders of shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery licenses choosing to convert their license.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, WATER, NATURAL RESOURCES & PARKS
Staff: Jeff Olsen (786-7428)
Background:

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) manages the commercial harvest of food fish, shellfish, and salmon. Commercial fishers must obtain applicable licenses from WDFW to participate in regulated fisheries. In general, commercial fishing license fees are structured by species and fishing technique, and there is a resident and nonresident fee for each license type.

 

To fish commercially for shrimp in Puget Sound, a person must obtain a shrimp pot-Puget Sound or shrimp trawl-Puget Sound commercial resident or nonresident license.  Both license types are limited entry fisheries, with a resident annual fee of $335 and a nonresident annual fee of $720.

 

WDFW by rule defines non-spot shrimp as the following species of pandalid shrimp including dock shrimp, coonstripe shrimp, humpy shrimp, ocean pink shrimp, pink shrimp, and side stripe shrimp.
Summary of Bill:

A non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license is established and a person may not fish for non-spot shrimp in Puget Sound for commercial purposes with non-spot shrimp pot gear without a license.  A resident annual license fee is $335 and a nonresident annual fee is $720.  No more than one shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license or non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may be owned by a licensee.  However, a non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may designate any natural person as the alternate operator for the license. The combined number of shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery licenses and non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery licenses issued is limited to five licenses in total.

 

A non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may only be issued to a natural person who held a non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license or a shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license issued during the previous licensing year.

 

A shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license may be converted to a non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license, and once it is converted it is permanently retired as a shrimp trawl-Puget Sound license.

 

A converted limited entry non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license may only fish on non-spot shrimp resources previously allocated to shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery license holders. If all shrimp trawl-Puget Sound fishery licenses convert to non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery licenses, WDFW shall work with stakeholders to review the allocation of the commercial non-spot shrimp resources and develop recommendations for future allocations.

 

Non-spot shrimp pot-Puget Sound fishery license holders reserve the right to cooperatively modify and design gear with WDFW to efficiently and economically harvest Pandalus eous, Pandalus jordani, and Pandalus dispar. The process to modify and design gear is intended to develop the fishery to ensure a means to harvest all non-spot shrimp species for these license holders.

 

Non-spot shrimp is defined to mean a species complex composed of the following species of pandalid shrimp including dock shrimp?Pandalus danae; coonstripe shrimp?Pandalus hypsinotus; humpy shrimp?Pandalus goniurus; ocean pink shrimp?Pandalus jordani, pink shrimp?Pandalus eous; and side stripe shrimp?Pandalopsis dispar.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 17, 2024.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.