(1) A person who holds a commercial fishery license or a delivery license may operate the vessel designated on the license. A person who is not the license holder may operate the vessel designated on the license only if:

(a) The person holds an alternate operator license issued by the director; and

(b) The person is designated as an alternate operator on the underlying commercial fishery license or delivery license under RCW 77.65.110.

(2) Only an individual at least sixteen years of age may hold an alternate operator license.

(3) No individual may hold more than one alternate operator license. An individual who holds an alternate operator license may be designated as an alternate operator on an unlimited number of commercial fishery licenses or delivery licenses under RCW 77.65.110.

(4) An individual who holds multiple Dungeness crab—Puget Sound fishery licenses issued pursuant to RCW 77.70.110 may operate the licenses on one vessel if the license holder or alternate operator is on the vessel. The department shall allow a license holder to operate up to one hundred crab pots for each license.

(5) Two persons owning separate Dungeness crab—Puget Sound fishery licenses may operate their licenses on one vessel if the license holders or their alternate operators are on the vessel.

(6) As used in this section, to "operate" means to control the deployment or removal of fishing gear from state waters while aboard a vessel or to operate a vessel delivering food fish or shellfish taken in offshore waters to a port within the state.

Effective date—1998 c 267: See note following RCW 77.65.050.

Finding, intent—Captions not law—Effective date—Severability—1993 c 340: See notes following RCW 77.65.010.