WSR 26-12-018
EMERGENCY RULES
DEPARTMENT OF
FISH AND WILDLIFE
[Order 26-80—Filed May 22, 2026, 4:01 p.m., effective July 1, 2026]
Effective Date of Rule: July 1, 2026.
Purpose: This emergency rule modifies recreational salmon rules in Catch Record Card Areas 5, 6, and 12 to conform with seasons agreed to during the 2026 North of Falcon season setting process.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-313-060.
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: This emergency rule is necessary to modify salmon seasons in Catch Record Card Areas 5, 6, and 12 to conform with seasons and rules agreed to with comanagers during the 2026 North of Falcon season setting process. This rule is interim until permanent rules in WSR 25-13-087 take effect on July 12, 2026.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: May 22, 2026.
Amy H. Windrope
for Kelly Susewind
Director
NEW SECTION
WAC 220-313-06000LPuget Sound salmon—Saltwater seasons and daily limits.
Effective July 1 through July 12, 2026, salmon rules for Catch Record Card areas 5, 6, and 12 shall be modified as described in this section. All other provisions of WAC 220-313-060 not addressed in this section, or unless otherwise amended by emergency rule, remain in effect:
(1) Catch Record Card Area 5:
(a) Open odd days of the month only.
(b) Daily limit 2 salmon; up to 1 may be a Chinook,. Release chum, sockeye, wild Chinook, and wild coho.
(2) Catch Record Card Area 6:
(a) Daily limit 2 salmon. Release chum, sockeye, wild Chinook, and wild coho.
(b) Waters east of a true north-south line through the Number 2 Buoy immediately east of Ediz Hook: Release all Chinook.
(c) Waters of Port Angeles Harbor west of a line from the tip of Ediz Hook to the ITT Rayonier Dock: Closed.
(d) Waters of Dungeness Bay inside a line from Dungeness Spit Lighthouse to the Number 2 Red Buoy, and then to the Port Williams Boat Ramp: Closed.
(3) Catch Record Card Area 12:
(a) Waters north of Ayock Point: Closed.
(b) Waters south of Ayock Point, including waters within a 2,000-foot arc seaward of yellow buoys at the mouth of Finch Creek at Hoodsport Salmon Hatchery: Daily limit 4 salmon. Release chum, sockeye, and wild Chinook.
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.