WSR 26-10-038
EMERGENCY RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FISH AND WILDLIFE
[Order 26-63—Filed April 30, 2026, 3:24 p.m., effective May 1, 2026]
Effective Date of Rule: May 1, 2026.
Purpose: WAC 220-340-03000U: Requires Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery license owners and operators to maintain and submit logbooks for nonspot shrimp harvest.
WAC 220-340-52000R: (1) Opens Puget Sound to commercial spot shrimp harvest effective May 1, 2026; and (2) designates the commercial spot shrimp catch accounting periods and catch limits.
WAC 220-340-52500A: (1) Opens Puget Sound to commercial nonspot shrimp pot harvest effective May 1, 2026; (2) designates the commercial nonspot shrimp catch accounting periods and biweekly catch limit for harvest from Regions 1 and 2E; and (3) establishes catch accounting periods and catch accounting period harvest limits for Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot license holders and operators.
WAC 220-340-53000T: (1) Opens Puget Sound to commercial shrimp trawl harvest; (2) designates hard opening for Puget Sound beam trawl areas; (3) designates early opening dates for select areas contingent on observer coverage; and (4) establishes catch accounting periods and catch accounting period harvest limits for Puget Sound nonspot shrimp trawl license holders and operators.
WAC 220-352-03500A: Requires receivers to use electronic fish tickets for landings of nonspot shrimp made by Puget Sound nonspot shrimp license holders and operators.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: New WAC 220-340-52500A; and amending WAC 220-340-030, 220-340-520, 220-340-530, and 220-352-035.
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: Permanent rules regulating state commercial shrimp harvest in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca require the adoption of harvest seasons contained in this emergency rule. This emergency rule is necessary to prosecute state commercial shrimp pot and trawl fisheries in Puget Sound. This rule allows harvesters to respond to dynamic changes in market conditions and promotes full utilization of both the commercial spot and nonspot shares. These rules are in congruence with comanager agreements. 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 5, 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: April 30, 2025 [2026].
Kelly Susewind
Director
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-340-03000UShellfish harvest logs.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-030, effective May 1, 2026, until further notice:
(1) Completed harvest logs for Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot must be received by the department within 10 days following any calendar month in which fishing occurred; however, vessel operators or license holders may submit logs directly to authorized department employees.
(2) It is unlawful for any vessel operator or license holder, engaged in harvest using a Puget Sound nonspot shrimp license to fail to send completed harvest logs to the address listed in this subsection, except as provided for in WAC 220-340-030 (4)(a).
ATTN: PUGET SOUND SHRIMP HARVEST MANAGER
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
375 Hudson St.
Port Townsend, WA 98368.
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-340-52000RCommercial spot shrimp pot fishery—Puget Sound.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-520, effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for spot shrimp for commercial purposes using pot gear in Puget Sound except as provided for in this section:
(1) License:
(a) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver spot shrimp taken for commercial purposes with pot gear from Puget Sound waters without a valid Puget Sound shrimp pot license.
(b) A Puget Sound shrimp pot license will only be issued to an individual who is a natural person, and this person shall be the primary operator. Holders of Puget Sound shrimp pot licenses may designate a single alternate operator per license. Puget Sound shrimp pot license holders may not designate a Puget Sound shrimp nonspot pot license on the same vessel.
(2) Pot Gear and area:
(a) It is unlawful to fish for spot shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using shellfish pot gear except during seasons specified in subsection (3)(a).
(b) In all areas fishers are limited to a maximum of 100 spot shrimp pots, as defined in subsection (d), except for dual licensees as provided for in RCW
77.70.410.
(c) Buoy requirements, in all areas:
(i) Buoys must be solid orange in color and consist of durable material that will remain floating on the surface with five pounds attached; bleach or antifreeze bottles or other containers may not be used as floats.
(ii) All buoys fished on a single vessel must be marked with the unique numeric buoy brand issued to them by the department and prefaced by fishery specific designation. Buoy brands for buoys designating gear used in the spot shrimp fishery must be prefaced with an "S" (i.e. "S-0000").
(iii) When two or more shrimp pots are attached to a common ground line, the number of pots attached must be clearly labeled on at least one buoy, trailer buoy, or buoy tag.
(iv) It is unlawful to use a buoy tag that is consistent with requirements for any other state or federally managed commercial fishery operating in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, or in the state waters of Washington, Oregon, or California, or used by any of the Puget Sound treaty tribes.
(v) Fishers shall use only the amount of line reasonably necessary to compensate for tides, currents, and weather. The line attaching the pot to the buoy must be weighted sufficiently to prevent the line from floating on the surface.
(vi) It is unlawful to use gear that has one or more line marks or to use multicolor line consistent with requirements for any other state or federally managed commercial fishery operating in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, or in the state waters of Washington, Oregon, or California.
(d) Spot shrimp gear specifications, all areas:
(i) The dimensions of spot shrimp pots must meet either specification:
(A) The perimeter of the top or bottom of the pot shall not exceed a maximum of 153-inches and the height shall not exceed a maximum of 24-inches, or;
(B) The volume of a pot shall not exceed 44,708 cubic inches (25.87 cubic feet) when measured from the outside of the pot, not including the tunnels.
(ii) The entire top, bottom, and sides must be constructed of mesh material.
(iii) Use of liners is prohibited. A liner is defined as any additional mesh material, overlaid or underlaid on a shellfish pot, to reduce the initial mesh size of the pot.
(iv) Entrance tunnels:
(A) May be constructed of any size mesh.
(B) All entrance tunnels directly into a pot from the outside must open into the pot from the side when the pot is in its intended operating position.
(v) Use of multi-chamber pots is permitted under the following conditions:
(A) The escape mechanism must be in the terminal chamber of the pot;
(B) The diameter of internal entry tunnels must be equal to or greater than the diameter of the initial entry tunnel.
(vi) Mesh size:
(A) The mesh size must be greater than or equal to one inch. Mesh size of one inch is defined as a mesh opening that a 7/8-inch square peg will pass through, excluding the entrance tunnels, except for flexible, knotted (web) mesh or knotless stretch mesh pots, where the mesh must be a minimum of 1 3/4-inch stretch measure.
(B) For knotted mesh pots 'stretch measure' is defined as the linear measurement between the inside of one knot to the inside of the opposite vertical knot of the same cell of mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
(C) For knotless stretch mesh pots 'stretch measure' is defined as the linear measurement between inside the bottom node to the inside of the opposing top node of the same cell of mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
(vii) Pot gear must have an escape mechanism as provided for in WAC 220-340-060.
(e) Harvest restrictions, all areas:
(i) It is unlawful to set or pull shellfish pot gear to commercially harvest spot shrimp from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
(ii) Each fisher or alternate operator is required to report their intended catch area of harvest, and an estimate of total pounds that are being targeted by 7:00 pm the evening prior to harvest by email or text message to shrimp.report@dfw.wa.gov, or by using the Puget Sound commercial shrimp reporting website.
(iii) In the event that spot shrimp and nonspot shrimp are fished on the same day all spot shrimp must be harvested and landed prior to the tending of nonspot shrimp pots or the harvest of nonspot shrimp.
(3) Spot shrimp pot harvest seasons and accounting periods:
(a) Spot shrimp harvest open periods:
Geographical Management Unit (WAC 220-320-140; WAC 220-320-120) | Open Period |
Subregion 1A | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subregion 1B | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subregion 1C | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Region 2E | Closed. |
Region 2W | Closed |
Subarea 23A-E | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A-W | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A-C and MSFS Catch Area 23B | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A-S and MSFS Catch Area 23D | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
MFSF (Marine Fish-Shellfish) Catch Area 23C | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 25A, excluding the Discovery Bay Shrimp District | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Discovery Bay Shrimp District | Closed. |
MFSF Catch Area 29 (Straits - Neah Bay) | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 26B-1 and MFSF Catch Area 26C | Closed. |
Subarea 26B-2 | Closed. |
Region 5 | Closed. |
MFSF Catch Area 26D | Closed. |
MFSF Catch Areas 28A, 28B, 28C, and 28D | Closed. |
(b) Spot shrimp harvest is permitted during the open period starting one hour before official sunrise on the first day of the open period. Closures take effect one hour after official sunset on the closing day.
(c) The first spot shrimp catch accounting period:
(i) Runs from one hour before official sunrise May 1, through one hour after official sunset August 4, 2026.
(ii) It is unlawful for the combined total harvest during the first spot shrimp accounting period to have exceeded 5,200 pounds of spot shrimp per license from all Geographical Management Units combined, except for MFSF Catch Area 29. Catch from MFSF Catch Area 29 does not contribute towards a license's catch accounting period harvest limit.
(d) Spot shrimp harvested from different geographical management units (as noted in section 3(a)) on the same day must be kept physically separate and labeled with the MFSF Catch Area of harvest.
(e) It is lawful to possess deactivated non-spot shrimp pots on-board a commercial vessel that is listed on a Puget Sound shrimp pot license while fishing for spot shrimp. A deactivated pot is un-baited, has the drawstring or door fastened open, and/or is unable to be readily fished.
Reviser's note: The typographical errors in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040. NEW SECTION
WAC 220-340-52500ACommercial nonspot shrimp pot fishery—Puget Sound.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-520, effective immediately, until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for nonspot shrimp for commercial purposes using pot gear in Puget Sound except as provided for in this section:
(1) License:
(a) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver nonspot shrimp taken for commercial purposes with pot gear from Puget Sound waters without a valid Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot or Puget Sound shrimp pot license.
(b) A Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot license will only be issued to an individual who is a natural person, and this person shall be the primary operator. Holders of Puget Sound shrimp nonspot pot licenses may designate a single alternate operator per license. Holders of a Puget Sound shrimp nonspot pot license may not designate a Puget Sound shrimp spot pot license on the same vessel.
(2) Pot gear and area:
(a) It is unlawful to fish for nonspot shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using shellfish pot gear except during seasons specified in subsection (3)(a).
(b) In all areas fishers are limited to a maximum of 100 nonspot shrimp pots, as defined in subsection (2)(d), unless otherwise designated in a director's permit.
(c) Buoy requirements, all areas:
(i) Buoys must be solid green in color and consist of durable material that will remain floating on the surface with five pounds attached; bleach or antifreeze bottles or other containers may not be used as floats.
(ii) All buoys fished on a single vessel must be marked with the unique numeric buoy brand issued to them by the department and prefaced by fishery specific designation.
(A) Buoy brands on buoys attached to nonspot shrimp gear deployed by Puget Sound shrimp pot license holders or operators must be prefaced with an "N" (i.e. "N-0000").
(B) Buoy brands on buoys attached to nonspot shrimp gear deployed by Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot license holders or operators must be prefaced with an "M" (i.e. "M-0000").
(iii) When two or more shrimp pots are attached to a common ground line, the number attached must be clearly labeled on at least one buoy, trailer buoy, or buoy tag.
(iv) It us unlawful to use a buoy tag that is consistent with requirements for any other state or federally managed commercial fishery operating in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, or in the state waters of Washington, Oregon, or California, or used by any of the Puget Sound treaty tribes.
(v) Fishers shall use only the amount of line reasonably necessary to compensate for tides, currents, and weather. The line attaching the pot to the buoy must be weighted sufficiently to prevent the line from floating on the surface.
(vi) It is unlawful to use gear that has one or more line marks or to use multicolor line consistent with requirements for any other state or federally managed commercial fishery operating in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, or in the state waters of Washington, Oregon, or California.
(d) Nonspot shrimp gear specifications, all areas:
(i) The dimensions of nonspot shrimp pots must meet either specification:
(A) The perimeter of the top or bottom of the pot shall not exceed a maximum of 153-inches and the height shall not exceed a maximum of 24-inches, or;
(B) The volume of a pot shall not exceed 44,807 cubic inches (25.87 cubic feet) when measured from the outside of the pot, not including the tunnels.
(ii) The entire top, bottom, and sides must be constructed of mesh material.
(iii) Use of liners is prohibited. A liner is defined as any additional mesh material, overlaid or underlaid on a shellfish pot, to reduce the initial mesh size of the pot.
(iv) Entrance tunnels:
(A) May be constructed of any size mesh.
(B) All entrance tunnels directly into a pot from the outside must open into the pot from the side when the pot is in its intended operating position.
(v) Use of multi-chamber pots is permitted under the following conditions:
(A) The escape mechanism must be in the terminal chamber of the pot;
(B) The diameter of internal entry tunnels must be equal to or greater than the diameter of the initial entry tunnel.
(vi) Mesh size:
(A) The mesh size must be greater than or equal to 1/2 inch. Mesh of 1/2 inch is defined as a mesh that a 3/8 inch square peg will pass through, excluding the entrance tunnels, except for flexible, knotted (web) mesh pots or knotless stretch mesh pots, where the mesh must be at a minimum 1 1/8 inch stretch measure.
(B) For knotted mesh pots 'stretch measure' is defined as the linear measurement between the inside of one knot to the inside of the opposite vertical knot of same cell of mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
(C) For knotless stretch mesh pots 'stretch measure' is defined as the linear measurement between inside the bottom node to the inside of the opposing top node of the same cell of mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
(vii) Pot gear used to harvest nonspot shrimp must comply with this section unless otherwise designated in a director's permit issued for the purposes of modifying or designing gear to economically harvest
Pandalus eous, P. jordani, or P. dispar, as provided for in RCW
77.70.425.
(e) Harvest restrictions, all areas:
(i) It is unlawful to set or pull shellfish pot gear to commercially harvest nonspot shrimp from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
(ii) Each fisher or alternate operator is required to report their intended catch area of harvest, and an estimate of total pounds that are being targeted by 7:00 pm the evening prior to harvest by email or text message to shrimp.report@dfw.wa.gov, or by using the Puget Sound commercial shrimp reporting website.
(iii) All nonspot shrimp brought onboard a vessel must be retained.
(iv) It is lawful to possess deactivated spot shrimp pots on-board of a commercial vessel that is listed on a Puget Sound shrimp pot license while fishing for non-spot shrimp. A deactivated pot is un-baited, has the drawstring or door fastened open, and/or is unable to be readily fished.
(3) Nonspot shrimp pot harvest seasons and accounting periods:
(a) Nonspot shrimp harvest pot open periods and areas for Puget Sound Shrimp Pot license holders and operators:
Geographical Management Unit (WAC 220-320-140; WAC 220-320-120) | Open Period |
Subregion 1A | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subregion 1B | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subregion 1C | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Region 2E | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Region 2W | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Region 3, not including Discovery Bay Shrimp District | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Discovery Bay Shrimp District | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Region 4 | Closed |
Region 5 | Closed |
Region 6 | Closed |
(i) Nonspot shrimp catch accounting periods:
| Period Number | Start Date | End Date | |
| 1 | 5/1/2026 | 5/12/2026 | |
| 2 | 5/13/2026 | 5/26/2026 | |
| 3 | 5/27/2026 | 6/9/2026 | |
| 4 | 6/10/2026 | 6/23/2026 | |
| 5 | 6/24/2026 | 7/7/2026 | |
| 6 | 7/8/2026 | 7/21/2026 | |
| 7 | 7/22/2026 | 8/4/2026 | |
| 8 | 8/5/2026 | 8/18/2026 | |
| 9 | 8/19/2026 | 9/1/2026 | |
| 10 | 9/2/2026 | 9/15/2026 | |
| 11 | 9/16/2026 | 9/29/2026 | |
| 12 | 09/30/2026 | 10/15/2026 | |
(ii) The nonspot shrimp catch accounting periods begin one hour before official sunrise and end one hour after official sunset on the date listed.
(iii) It is unlawful for Puget Sound Shrimp Pot license holders or operators total harvest of nonspot shrimp to exceed 1,400 pounds per non-spot shrimp catch accounting period from subregions 1B, 1C, and Region 2E combined during catch accounting periods 1 through 12.
(iv) There is no weekly harvest limit of non-spot shrimp from Subregion 1A, Region 2W, Region 3, or the Discovery Bay Shrimp District.
(b) Nonspot shrimp harvest multigear open periods for Puget Sound Nonspot Shrimp Pot license holders:
Geographical Management Unit (WAC 220-301-040; WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) | Open Period |
The portion of MFSF Catch Areas 22A and 21A in Subregion 1B. | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
The portion of MFSF Catch Area 20B within Subregion 1B | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
The portion of MFSF Catch Area 20A within Subregion 1C | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A East, MFSF Catch Areas 23B, and MFSF Catch Area 25A outside of the Discovery Bay Shrimp District. | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A West | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 23C | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 29 | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
(i) The first nonspot shrimp multigear catch accounting period:
(A) Runs from one hour before official sunrise May 1, through one hour after official sunset August 4, 2026.
(B) It is unlawful for the combined total harvest of a Puget Sound Nonspot Shrimp Pot license holders or operators during the first nonspot shrimp multigear catch accounting period to have exceeded 9,960 pounds of nonpink shrimp (Pandalus danae, P. hypsinotus, P. goniurus, and P. dispar) per license from all Geographical Management Units within Region 1 combined.
(ii) Nonspot shrimp harvest by Puget Sound Nonspot Shrimp Pot license holders in Region 3 is limited to pink shrimp (P. jordani and P. eous borealis). Other species of the nonspot species complex may not be retained in Region 3.
(c) Nonspot shrimp harvest for Puget Sound Nonspot Shrimp Pot license and Puget Sound Shrimp Pot license holders is permitted during the open period starting one hour before official sunrise on the first day of the open period. Closures take effect one hour after official sunset on the closing day.
(d) Nonspot shrimp harvested from different geographical management units on the same day must be kept physically separate and labeled with the MFSF Catch Area they were harvested from.
Reviser's note: The typographical error 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. NEW SECTION
WAC 220-340-53000TCommercial shrimp trawl fishery—Puget Sound.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-530, effective May 1, 2026, until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes using beam trawl gear in Puget Sound except as described in this section:
(1) License:
(a) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver shrimp taken for commercial purposes with trawl gear from Puget Sound waters without a valid Puget Sound shrimp trawl license and a shrimp trawl permit, issued annually by the director, and without complying with all provisions of a Puget Sound shrimp trawl fishery permit per RCW
77.70.420.
(b) A Puget Sound shrimp trawl license will only be reissued to an individual who is a natural person, and this person shall be the primary operator. A Puget Sound shrimp trawl license will be converted to a Puget Sound Nonspot shrimp pot fishery license upon transfer or death per RCW
77.70.420. A license owner may voluntarily convert a Puget Sound shrimp trawl license to a Puget Sound Nonspot shrimp pot license. Holders of Puget Sound shrimp trawl licenses may designate a single alternate operator per license.
(c) A Puget Sound shrimp trawl license holder may request a director's permit for the purposes of modifying or designing and using pot gear to economically harvest
Pandalus eous, P. jordani, or P. dispar, as provided for in RCW
77.70.425.
(2) Trawl gear and area restrictions:
(a) It is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using trawl gear except during open seasons in subsection (3) and authorized by a permit issued by the director.
(b) It is unlawful to operate shrimp beam trawl gear in Puget Sound from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
(c) It is unlawful to retain spot shrimp with trawl gear.
(d) All nonspot shrimp brought aboard a vessel must be retained.
(e) Gear restrictions:
(i) Maximum beam width in Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 20A, 20B, 21A, and 22A is 25 feet.
(ii) Maximum beam width in Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 23A (trawl Catch Area 23A; WAC 220-320-140), 23B, 23C, 25A, and 29 is 60 feet.
(f) Depth restrictions:
(i) 100 feet in Puget Sound.
(ii) 120 feet in Catch Area 20A.
(g) Closed areas - It is unlawful to fish for shrimp with beam trawl gear year-round in these areas:
(i) Catch Area 21A except those waters of the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle, as defined in WAC 220-320-140(4).
(ii) Catch Areas 21B, 22B, and those waters of Catch Area 20A north and east of a line from Point Roberts Light (48.9716°, -123.0838°) to Sandy Point Light, at the Lummi Reservation (48.7868°, -122.7124°).
(iii) Subregion 1A, (defined in WAC 220-320-140 (1)(a)(i)).
(iv) Discovery Bay Shrimp District, (defined in WAC 220-320-120 (1)(b)).
(v) Sequim Bay CSMA, (defined in WAC 220-320-120(6)).
(vi) Catch Area 23D.
(h) Date specific closure areas - It is unlawful to fish for shrimp with beam trawl gear during specified dates in these areas:
(i) Catch Area 20A outside of those waters north and east of a line from Point Roberts Light (48.9716°, -123.0838°) to Sandy Point Light at the Lummi Reservation (48.7868°, -122.7124°) are closed through July 31st.
(ii) Those waters of the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle, (defined in WAC 220-320-140 (4)(c)), are closed through June 30th.
(iii) Those waters of South Lopez Sound, (defined in WAC 220-320-140 (4)(a)), are closed through July 9th.
(iv) Waters of subregion 1B, except South Lopez Sound and the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle, (defined in WAC 220-320-140(4)) are closed through June 15, except waters of subregion 1B, except South Lopez Sound and the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle, may open as early as May 1, and remain open contingent upon the results of department-approved observer sampling to evaluate bycatch;
(A) Bycatch parameters must be satisfied for the fishery to remain open earlier than June 15.
(B) Trawl fishers seeking to open before June 15 must coordinate with the department to arrange a department-approved bycatch observation plan prior to commencing fishing.
(3) Nonspot shrimp trawl harvest seasons:
(a) Nonspot shrimp beam trawl harvest is permitted starting one hour before official sunrise on the hard season opening dates listed for each of the areas detailed below. Any closures take effect one hour after official sunset on the closing day.
Geographic Area Description (WAC 220-301-040; WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) | Open period |
Catch Area 20A outside of those waters north and east of a line from Point Roberts Light (48.9716°, -123.0838°) to Sandy Point Light at the Lummi Reservation (48.7868°, -122.7124°) | August 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Those waters within the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle. | July 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Those waters of South Lopez Sound. | July 10, 2026, until further notice. |
All waters within subregion 1B, excluding those waters of South Lopez Sound, the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle. | June 16, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A East, MFSF Catch Areas 23B, and MFSF Catch Area 25A outside of the Discovery Bay Shrimp District. | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A West | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 23C | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 29 | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
(b) Nonspot shrimp beam trawl harvest is permitted starting one hour before official sunrise in the areas detailed below with a WDFW on-board observer on the first trip of the area:
Geographic Area Description ((WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) | Open period |
Those waters within the Rosario Box. | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
Those waters of subregion 1B, not including the Rosario Box, the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle and South Lopez Sound. | May 1, 2026, until further notice. |
(c) Areas closed to nonspot shrimp beam trawl harvest:
| Geographic Area Description (WAC 220-320-140(3); WAC 220-320-120) | |
| Discovery Bay Shrimp District | |
| Sequim Bay CSMA | |
| MFSF Catch Area 23D | |
| Subregion 1A | |
(d) The first nonspot shrimp multigear catch accounting period:
(i) Runs from one hour before official sunrise May 1, through one hour after official sunset August 4, 2026.
(ii) It is unlawful for the combined total harvest of a Puget Sound Nonspot Shrimp Trawl license holders or operators during the first nonspot shrimp multigear catch accounting period to have exceeded 29,880 pounds of nonpink shrimp (Pandalus danae, P. hypsinotus, P. goniurus, and P. dispar) per license from all Geographical Management Units within Region 1 combined.
Reviser's note: The typographical errors in the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040. NEW SECTION
WAC 220-352-03500ARequirement to prepare fish receiving ticket forms completely and accurately—Determining the appropriate form.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-352-035, effective May 1, 2026, until further notice, receivers must use an electronic fish receiving ticket form for deliveries of ocean pink shrimp, pink shrimp, coonstripe shrimp, or sidestripe shrimp and any other lawfully landed species taken incidentally by vessels fishing and delivering under a Puget Sound nonspot shrimp license.