Effective Date of Rule: Immediately upon filing.
Purpose: This emergency rule: (1) Closes nonspot commercial beam trawl harvest within the Rosario Box area; and (2) maintains previously announced commercial trawl rules and seasons.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-340-53000T; and amending WAC 220-340-530.
Reasons for this Finding: This emergency rule closes the Rosario Box to shrimp trawl harvest due to agreed-to total crab bycatch thresholds being exceeded during required early opening observed fishing, and maintains previously announced commercial trawl rules and seasons. Permanent rules regulating state commercial shrimp harvest in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca require adoption of harvest seasons contained in this emergency rule.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 1.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: May 5, 2026.
Notwithstanding the provisions of WAC 220-340-530, effective immediately, 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. | Immediately, until further notice. |
Subarea 23A West | Immediately, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 23C | Immediately, until further notice. |
MFSF Catch Area 29 | Immediately, 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 25, 2026, until further notice. |
Those waters of subregion 1B, not including the Rosario Box, the Lummi-Sinclair Triangle and South Lopez Sound. | Immediately, 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.