From August 16 through December 31 of each year, it is unlawful to fish for salmon in Willapa Bay for commercial purposes or to possess salmon taken from those waters for commercial purposes, except that:

(1) Gillnet gear may be used to fish for coho salmon, chum salmon, and Chinook salmon:

(2) Gillnet gear restrictions - All areas:

(a) Drift gillnet gear only. It is unlawful to use set net gear.

(b) It is permissible to have on board a commercial vessel more than one net, provided the nets are of a mesh size that is legal for the fishery, and the length of any one net does not exceed one thousand five hundred feet in length.

(c) It is unlawful to use a gillnet to fish for salmon if the lead line weighs more than two pounds per fathom of net as measured on the cork line.

(d) It is permissible to have a gillnet with a lead line weighing more than two pounds per fathom aboard a vessel when the vessel is fishing in or transiting through Willapa Bay, provided the net is properly stored. A properly stored net is defined as a net on a drum that is fully covered by a tarp (canvas or plastic) and bound with a minimum of ten revolutions of rope that is 3/8 (0.375) inches or greater.

(e) From 12:01 a.m. September ((5)) 4 through 11:59 p.m. ((December 1)) November 30, 2018: Mesh size must not exceed six and one-half inches stretched, except mesh size must not exceed four and one-quarter inches stretched in Area((s 2M and 2R)) 2N on September ((5)) 4, 8, 10, 13, and 15, in Area((s)) 2M on September ((11, 12, 18, 19, and 20, 2N on September 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, and 2R on September 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, and 21, in Area 2T on September 18, 25, and 26)) 6, 11, and 12, and in Area 2U on September 17, 18, 19, ((20, 21)) 24, 25, 26((, 27, 28, 29)), October 1, 2, 3, ((4, 5, 6)) 8, 9, ((10,)) 11, and 12((, and 13)).

(3) Recovery boxes and soak time limits described in this section are required from 12:01 a.m. September ((5)) 4 through 11:59 p.m. ((October 13)) November 30, 2018:

(a) Each boat must have two operable recovery boxes or one box with two chambers on board when fishing in Willapa Bay Areas 2M, 2N, 2R, 2T, and 2U.

(i) Each box and chamber must be operating during any time the net is being retrieved or picked. The flow in the recovery box must be a minimum of 16 gallons per minute in each chamber of the box, not to exceed 20 gallons per minute.

(ii) Each chamber of the recovery box must meet the following dimensions as measured from within the box:

(A) The inside length measurement must be at or within 39-1/2 inches to 48 inches;

(B) The inside width measurements must be at or within 8 to 10 inches; and

(C) The inside height measurement must be at or within 14 to 16 inches.

(iii) Each chamber of the recovery box must include a water inlet hole between 3/4 inch and 1 inch in diameter, centered horizontally across the door or wall of the chamber and 1-3/4 inches from the floor of the chamber. Each chamber of the recovery box must include a water outlet hole opposite the inflow that is at least 1-1/2 inches in diameter. The center of the outlet hole must be located a minimum of 12 inches above the floor of the box or chamber. The fisher must demonstrate to department employees, fish and wildlife enforcement officers, or other peace officers, upon request, that the pumping system is delivering the proper volume of fresh river/bay water into each chamber.

(b) All steelhead and wild (unmarked) Chinook must be placed in an operating recovery box, which meets the requirements in (a) of this subsection prior to being released to the river/bay as set forth in (c) of this subsection. From ((September 5)) November 1 through ((December 1, 2017)) November 30, 2018, all chum must be placed in an operating recovery box which meets the requirements in (a) of this subsection prior to being released to the river/bay as set forth in (c) of this subsection.

(c) All fish placed in recovery boxes must remain until they are not lethargic and/or not bleeding and must be released to the river/bay prior to landing or docking.

(d) Soak time must not exceed 45 minutes. Soak time is defined as the time elapsed from when the first of the gillnet web is deployed into the water until the gillnet web is fully retrieved from the water.

(4) Quick reporting is required for wholesale dealers and fishers retailing their catch under a "((direct retail endorsement)) limited fish seller endorsement." According to WAC ((220-352-180(14))) 220-352-320, reports must be made by 10:00 a.m. the day following landing, unless otherwise specified in an electronic fish receiving ticket reporting agreement (see WAC 220-352-035(3)).

(5) Retention prohibitions:

(a) All green and white sturgeon and all steelhead, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, must be handled with care to minimize injury to the fish and must be released immediately to the river/bay.

(b) Retention of any species other than coho ((salmon or)), Chinook, or chum salmon is prohibited.

(c) From 12:01 a.m. September ((5)) 4 through 11:59 p.m. October ((13)) 12, 2018, retention of any species other than coho ((salmon or)), hatchery Chinook marked by a healed scar at the site of the adipose fin, or chum salmon is prohibited.

(d) From 12:01 a.m. ((October 31)) November 1 through 11:59 p.m. ((December 1)) November 30, 2018, retention of any species other than coho salmon((,)) or hatchery Chinook salmon marked by a healed scar at the site of the adipose fin((, or wild (unmarked) Chinook)) is prohibited.

(6) Report ALL encounters of green sturgeon, steelhead, and wild (unmarked) Chinook (your name, date of encounter, and number of species encountered) to the quick reporting office via phone at 866-791-1280, fax at 360-249-1229, or email at harborfishtickets@dfw.wa.gov. Fishers may have wholesale dealers use the "buyer only" portion of the fish ticket and have encounters included with each day's quick reporting.

(7) Do NOT remove tags from white sturgeon. Please obtain available information from tags without removing tags. Submit tag information to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 48 Devonshire Rd., Montesano, WA 98563.

(8) Those waters of Area 2T north of a line from Toke Point channel marker 3 easterly through Willapa Harbor channel marker 13 (green), then northeasterly to the power transmission pole located at 46°43.1907'N, 123°50.83134'W are CLOSED from ((6:00)) 12:01 a.m. September ((18, 2017)) 19, 2018, through 11:59 p.m., September ((30, 2017)) 28, 2018.

(9) It is unlawful to fish with gillnet gear in Areas 2M, 2N, 2R, 2T, and 2U unless the vessel operator has attended a "Fish Friendly" best fishing practices workshop and has in their possession a department-issued certification card.

(10) Fishers must take department observers if requested by department staff when participating in these openings. Fishers also must provide notice of intent to participate by contacting quick reporting by phone, fax or email. Notice of intent must be given prior to 5:00 p.m. on August ((28, 2017)) 25, 2018.

Reviser's note: The bracketed material preceding the section above was supplied by the code reviser's office.

Reviser's note: RCW 34.05.395 requires the use of underlining and deletion marks to indicate amendments to existing rules. The rule published above varies from its predecessor in certain respects not indicated by the use of these markings.

Reviser's note: The unnecessary underscoring in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appears in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.