PDFWAC 220-340-520
Commercial shrimp pot fishery—Puget Sound.
License
(1) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver shrimp taken for commercial purposes with pot gear from Puget Sound waters without a valid Puget Sound shrimp pot license.
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.
Pot Gear and area
(2) It is unlawful to fish for shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using shellfish pot gear except during seasons opened by emergency rule.
(3) In all areas fishers are limited to a maximum of 100 spot shrimp pots, as defined in subsection (5)(d) of this section, and a maximum of 100 nonspot shrimp pots, as defined in subsection (5)(e) of this section, except for dual licensees as provided for in RCW 77.70.410.
(4) Buoy requirements, in all areas:
(a) 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.
(b) Buoys must be marked with the clear identification of the license holder and the vessel designated on the Puget Sound shrimp pot license.
(c) When two or more shrimp pots are attached to a common ground line, the number and type of pots (spot shrimp or nonspot shrimp pot) so attached must be clearly labeled on the required buoy.
(d) 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.
(e) 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.
(5) Pot requirements, in all areas:
(a) A shrimp pot may not exceed a maximum of 153-inch bottom perimeter and a maximum of 24-inch height.
(b) The entire top, bottom, and sides of the shrimp pot must be constructed of mesh material. Use of liners is prohibited.
(c) Entrance tunnels to shrimp pots may be constructed of any size mesh material. All entrance tunnels must open into the pot from the side. The sum of the maximum widths of all entrance tunnel openings must not exceed half of the perimeter of the bottom of the pot.
(d) Spot shrimp may only be harvested using pots with a minimum mesh size of 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 (web) mesh pots, where the mesh must be a minimum of 1 3/4 inch stretch measure. Stretch measure is defined as the distance between the inside of one knot to the outside of the opposite vertical knot of one mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
(e) Nonspot shrimp may only be harvested using pots with a minimum mesh size 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 (web) mesh pots, where the mesh must be at a minimum 1 1/8 inch stretch measure. Stretch measure is defined as the distance between the inside of one knot to the outside of the opposite vertical knot of one mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
(6) Harvest restrictions, all areas:
(a) It is unlawful to set or pull shrimp pot gear from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
(b) Each fisher or alternate operator is required to report their intended catch area of harvest, target species (spot or nonspot), and an estimate of total pounds that are being targeted prior to the deployment of any shrimp gear by email or text message to shrimp.report@dfw.wa.gov, or by using the Puget Sound commercial shrimp reporting website.
(c) It is unlawful to harvest nonspot and spot shrimp in the same day.
(d) Nonspot shrimp pot harvest restrictions:
(i) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 175 feet in Shrimp Management Region 2E.
(ii) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 175 feet in Shrimp Management Subregion 1A.
(iii) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 175 feet in Catch Area 23A including the corresponding shrimp subareas (23A-E, 23A-W, 23A-S, 23A-C).
(iv) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 150 feet in Shrimp Management Region 2W.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.055, 77.12.045, and 77.12.047. WSR 23-22-110 (Order 2023-10), § 220-340-520, filed 10/31/23, effective 12/1/23. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.020, 77.04-055 [ 77.04.055], 77.12.045, and 77.12.047. WSR 22-08-048, § 220-340-520, filed 3/31/22, effective 5/1/22. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.090, 77.04.130, 77.15.568, 77.08.010, 77.65.510, 77.65.515, and 77.65.520. WSR 17-22-100, § 220-340-520, filed 10/30/17, effective 1/1/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.020, 77.04.055, and 77.12.047. WSR 17-05-112 (Order 17-04), amended and recodified as § 220-340-520, filed 2/15/17, effective 3/18/17. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.020, 77.12.045, 77.12.047 and 50 C.F.R., Parts 223 and 224. WSR 11-07-106 (Order 11-43), § 220-52-051, filed 3/23/11, effective 4/23/11. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.047. WSR 06-01-013 (Order 05-275), § 220-52-051, filed 12/9/05, effective 1/9/06; WSR 03-05-064 (Order 03-28), § 220-52-051, filed 2/18/03, effective 3/21/03; WSR 02-01-068, § 220-52-051, filed 12/14/01, effective 1/14/02; WSR 01-03-016 (Order 00-271), § 220-52-051, filed 1/5/01, effective 2/5/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.080 and 1999 c 239. WSR 00-01-124 (Order 99-217), § 220-52-051, filed 12/17/99, effective 1/17/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.28.740 and 75.30.220. WSR 94-07-092 (Order 94-14), § 220-52-051, filed 3/17/94, effective 4/17/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. WSR 93-15-051, § 220-52-051, filed 7/14/93, effective 8/14/93; WSR 91-18-030 (Order 91-73), § 220-52-051, filed 8/28/91, effective 9/28/91; WSR 87-23-006 (Order 87-187), § 220-52-051, filed 11/6/87.]