EMERGENCY RULES
FISH AND WILDLIFE
Purpose: Commercial fishing rules.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-52-05100G; and amending WAC 220-52-051.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.
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: The 2004 state/tribal Puget Sound shrimp harvest management plans requires adoption of harvest seasons, harvest reporting areas, and the prohibition on night time fishing contained in this emergency rule. Commercial shrimp quotas have been taken in the catch areas closed in this rule, and a fishing depth restriction is required in Crustacean Management Region 2 to protect spot shrimp. There is insufficient time to promulgate 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Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 1.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: September 1, 2004
Evan Jacoby
for Jeff Koenings
Director
(1) Shrimp pot gear:
(a) Effective immediately until further notice, all waters of Crustacean Management Regions 1, 2, 3 and 6, are open to harvest of all shrimp species, except as provided below:
(i) It is unlawful to harvest shrimp for commercial purposes in Shrimp Management Area 1A and Marine Fish-Shellfish Catch and Reporting Areas 23A-E (east), 23A-W (west), and 23A-C (central).
(ii) It is unlawful to harvest spot shrimp for commercial purposes in Shrimp Management Areas 1B, 1C, 2-E (east), 2-W (west), and Marine Fish-Shellfish Catch and Reporting Areas 23A-S (south), 23B, 23C, 23D, 25A, 25D and 26D.
(iii) Marine Fish/Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 25D (Port Townsend Bay) is closed south of the 48.06' North latitude line, north of the 48.04' North latitude line and east of the 122.46' west longitude line.
(iv) In Crustacean Management Region 2 it is unlawful to set or pull shrimp gear in waters greater than 175 feet deep.
(b) Effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful for the combined total harvest of spot shrimp by a fisher and/or the fisher's alternate operator to exceed 300 pounds per week from Crustacean Management Region 6, and any fisher whose weekly shrimp harvest activity is exclusively limited to Marine Fish-Shellfish Catch and Reporting Area 29, shall not be subject to the weekly spot shrimp trip limit for that week. The spot shrimp trip limit accounting week is Monday through Sunday. It is unlawful to fish for any shrimp while in possession on board the fishing vessel spot shrimp harvested from the previous trip limit accounting week or weeks.
(c) It is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using shellfish pot gear in more than one Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area per day. Fishers may move all of their shellfish pot gear from one Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area to another Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area if a harvest report is made before the shellfish pot gear is moved. The harvest activity report must be made consistent with the provisions of WAC 220-52-075 and must also include the following additional information.
(i) The number of pots being moved to a new area and the Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area that the pots are being moved to.
(d) It is unlawful to set or pull shellfish pots in one Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area while in possession of shrimp harvested from another Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area except shellfish pots may be set in a new fishing area subsequent to making a report as indicated in Section 1(c) above.
(e) For purposes of shrimp harvest allocation, fishing season, and catch reporting, Marine Fish-Shellfish Catch and Reporting Area 23A is divided into four Subareas: 23A-E (east) is those waters of Catch Area 23A north of a line projected 48.22.50' °N latitude east of a line projected 122.57°W longitude. 23A-W (west) is those waters of Catch Area 23A north of a line projected 48.22.50' °N latitude and west of a line projected 122.57°W longitude. 23A-C (central) is those waters of Catch Area 23A south of a line projected 48.22.50' °N latitude and east of a line projected 335 degrees true from the Dungeness lighthouse. 23A-S (south) is those waters of Catch Area 23A west of a line projected 335 degrees true from the Dungeness lighthouse.
(2) Shrimp beam trawl gear:
(a) Crustacean Management Region 3 outside of the shrimp districts: Open immediately, until further notice.
(b) That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 20B, 21A, and 22A within Shrimp Management Area 1B, and Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 20A: Open immediately, until further notice.
(c) It is unlawful to set or pull shrimp beam trawl gear from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
(3) All shrimp taken under this section must be sold to licensed Washington wholesale fish dealers.
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The following section of the Washington Administrative Code is repealed:
| WAC 220-52-05100G | Puget Sound shrimp pot and beam trawl fishery. (04-221) |