(1) The purchase of Puget Sound gillnet and reef net licenses will be based upon a random drawing of all applicants for a specific license type.

(2) The random drawing will continue until all applicants who offered to sell at the department's offered price have been rank-ordered. The order of ranking will apply to all phases of the buyback.

(3) Persons selected will be notified by the department that a license offer has been accepted by registered mail to the address provided on the offer form. The enclosed acknowledgment sent with the acceptance letter must be signed and returned to the department within twenty days of the department's mailing date. Any acknowledgment received after the twenty-day period is void and the acceptance will be withdrawn. Final rankings of all licenses will be available upon request to applicants when all appeals have been settled.

(4) Persons not selected in Phase 1 will be sent an acceptance by mail to the address provided on the offer form that their ranking will continue to apply for a Phase 2 and Phase 3 buyback when they should occur.

(5) Persons who apply after 5:00 p.m. on May 11, 2001, will be ranked at the bottom of the ranked list in the order that the applications were received. Applications received on a single day will be ranked by random draw.

(6) Persons who wish to appeal their ranking must appeal within twenty days of the mailing date of the registered letter of acceptance. Any appeal received after the twenty-day period is void and the ranking will stand. Appeals will be referred to an adjudicative proceeding resolution.

(7) The department will tender the amount of the offer upon receipt of a valid acknowledgment and upon resolution of all appeals that affect the ranking of licenses to be purchased for that respective gear group.