Title of Rule: Recreational fishing rule.

     Purpose: Amend hatchery fish definition.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.

     Statute Being Implemented: RCW 77.12.047.

     Summary: Amends definition for clarity and consistency.

     Reasons Supporting Proposal: Distinguish traditional hatchery fish identification from selected hatchery stocks.

     Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Evan Jacoby, 1111 Washington Street, Olympia, 902-2930; Implementation: Lew Atkins, 1111 Washington Street, Olympia, 902-2651; and Enforcement: Bruce Bjork, 1111 Washington Street, Olympia, 902-2372.

     Name of Proponent: Department of Fish and Wildlife, governmental.

     Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.

     Explanation of Rule, its Purpose, and Anticipated Effects: Hatchery chinook and coho are generally identified by the absence of an adipose fin with a healed scar at the site. Certain hatchery stocks are additionally marked by removal of a ventral fin (for example, White River chinook). Although these are hatchery fish, they are not allowed to be harvested. By defining hatchery chinook and coho as adipose fin-clipped fish, it prevents taking of White River fish under the general provision of releasing wild fish and retaining hatchery fish.

     Proposal Changes the Following Existing Rules: Amends definitions.

August 5, 2003

Evan Jacoby

Rules Coordinator

OTS-6561.1

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Order 02-53, filed 3/29/02, effective 5/1/02)

WAC 220-56-100   Definitions -- Personal use fishing.   The following definitions apply to personal use fishing in Titles 220 and 232 WAC:

     (1) "Bait" means any substance which attracts fish by scent or flavors. Bait includes any lure which uses scent or flavoring to attract fish.

     (2) "Barbless hook" means a hook on which all barbs have been deleted when manufactured or filed off or pinched down.

     (3) "Bow and arrow fishing" means any method of taking, or attempting to take, fish by the use of an arrow equipped with a barbed head and a line attached, and propelled by a bow, as in the sport of archery, while the fisher is above the surface of the water.

     (4) "Buoy 10 line" means a true north-south line projected through Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River. "Buoy 10 fishery" means a fishery between a line in the Columbia River from Tongue Point in Oregon to Rocky Point in Washington and the Buoy 10 line.

     (5) "Channel Marker 13 line" means a true north-south line through Grays Harbor Channel Marker 13.

     (6) "Daily limit" means the maximum number or pounds of fish, shellfish, or seaweed of the required size of a given species or aggregate of species which a person may retain in a single day.

     (7) "Fresh" means fish or shellfish that are refrigerated, iced, salted, or surface glazed.

     (8) "Freshwater area" means:

     (a) Within any freshwater river, lake, stream or pond.

     (b) On the bank or within 10 yards of any freshwater river, lake, stream or pond.

     (c) On or within any boat launch, ramp, or parking facility associated with any freshwater river, lake, stream or pond.

     (9) "Frozen" means fish or shellfish that are hard frozen throughout.

     (10) "Gaffing" means an effort to take fish by impaling the fish with a hook attached directly to a pole or other device.

     (11) "Hatchery" when used to describe the difference between a hatchery fish and a nonhatchery fish means a ((fish)) chinook or coho salmon with a missing ((an)) adipose fin or a steelhead or cutthroat trout with a missing adipose fin or a missing ventral fin ((with)), or both. There must be a healed scar at the location of the missing fin or fins.

     (12) "Hook" means one single, double or treble hook. A "single hook" means a hook having a single point. A "double hook" means a hook having two points on a common shank. A "treble hook" means a hook having three points on a common shank.

     (13) "Hook and line" or "angling" shall be identical in meaning and, except as provided in WAC 220-56-115, shall be defined as the use of not more than one line with three hooks attached to a pole held in hand while landing fish, or the use of a hand operated line without rod or reel, to which may be attached not more than three hooks. When fishing for bottom fish, "angling" and "jigging" shall be identical in meaning.

     (14) "In the field or in transit" means at any place other than at the ordinary residence of the harvester. An ordinary residence is a residential dwelling where a person normally lives, with associated features such as address, telephone number, utility account, etc. A motor home or camper parked at a campsite or a vessel are not considered to be an ordinary residence.

     (15) "Juvenile" means a person under fifteen year of age.

     (16) "Lure" means a manufactured article constructed of feathers, hair, fiber, wood, metal, glass, cork, leather, rubber or plastic which does not use scent or flavoring to attract fish. "Nonbuoyant lure" means a lure complete with hooks, swivels or other attachments, which does not float in freshwater.

     (17) "Night closure" means closed to fishing from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.

     (18) "Nonbuoyant lure restriction" means nonbuoyant lures may have only one single hook measuring not more than 3/4 inch point to shank, no weights may be attached below or less than twelve inches above a buoyant lure, and all hooks must be attached within three inches of the bait or lure.

     (19) "Possession limit" means the number of daily limits allowed to be retained in the field or in transit.

     (20) "Processed" means fish or shellfish which have been processed by heat for human consumption as kippered, smoked, boiled, or canned.

     (21) "Seasonal wild steelhead limit" means the maximum number of wild steelhead trout any one angler may retain from April 1st through the following March 31st.

     (22) "Selective gear rules" means terminal fishing gear is limited to artificial flies with barbless single hooks or lures with barbless single hooks, bait is prohibited, and fishing from a floating device equipped with a motor is prohibited unless otherwise provided. Up to three hooks may be used. In waters under selective gear rules, fish may be released until the daily limit is retained.

     (23) "Slough" means any swamp, marsh, bog, pond, side-channel, or backwater connected to a river by water. Waters called sloughs that are not connected to a river are considered lakes.

     (24) "Snagging" means an effort to take fish with a hook and line in a manner that the fish does not take the hook or hooks voluntarily in its mouth.

     (25) "Spearing" or "spear fishing" means an effort to take fish or shellfish by impaling the fish or shellfish on a shaft, arrow or other device.

     (26) "Whitefish gear rules" means terminal fishing gear is restricted to one single hook, maximum hook size three-sixteenths inch point to shank (hook size 14), and bait is allowed. All species: Release all fish except whitefish.

     (27) "Wild" when used to describe the difference between a hatchery fish and a nonhatchery fish means a fish with all fins intact.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.047. 02-08-048 (Order 02-53), § 220-56-100, filed 3/29/02, effective 5/1/02. Statutory Authority: 2000 c 107 § 7. 00-16-091 (Order 00-134), § 220-56-100, filed 7/31/00, effective 8/31/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080 and 77.12.040. 99-08-029 (Order 99-13), § 220-56-100, filed 3/30/99, effective 5/1/99; 98-06-031, § 220-56-100, filed 2/26/98, effective 5/1/98. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 97-07-078 (Order 97-53), § 220-56-100, filed 3/19/97, effective 5/1/97; 96-11-078 (Order 96-44), § 220-56-100, filed 5/13/96, effective 6/13/96; 95-04-066 (Order 95-10), § 220-56-100, filed 1/30/95, effective 5/1/95; 94-14-069, § 220-56-100, filed 7/1/94, effective 8/1/94; 91-08-054 (Order 91-13), § 220-56-100, filed 4/2/91, effective 5/3/91; 86-09-020 (Order 86-08), § 220-56-100, filed 4/9/86; 85-09-017 (Order 85-20), § 220-56-100, filed 4/9/85; 82-13-040 (Order 82-61), § 220-56-100, filed 6/9/82; 80-03-064 (Order 80-12), § 220-56-100, filed 2/27/80, effective 4/1/80.]

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