(1) Licensing: A shellfish pot fishery license is required to operate the gear provided for in this section. An application for a shellfish pot fishery license is available at the offices of the department, by calling the WDFW license division at 360-902-2500, or on the department web site at www.wdfw.wa.gov.
(2) Commercial crawfish season: The first Monday in May through October 31, except: In Washington waters of the Columbia River downstream from the mouth of the Walla Walla River, it is permissible to take crawfish from April 1 through October 31.
(3) Commercial crawfish size and sex restrictions:
(a) Crawfish must be 3-1/4 inches or more in length from the tip of the rostrum (nose) to the tip of the tail .
(b) All undersize crawfish and female crawfish with eggs or young attached to the abdomen must be immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which taken. Fishers must sort and return illegal crawfish to the waters from which taken immediately after the crawfish are removed from the shellfish pot and prior to lifting additional pots from the water.
(4) Commercial crawfish gear, fishing areas, and pot number restrictions:
(a) It is unlawful to take crawfish for commercial purposes with gear other than shellfish pots.
(b) The department determines the maximum number of pots permitted in any given body of water. Once the permitted maximum number of pots for any given body of water is reached, no further permits may be issued for that area. Permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis consistent with all other regulations concerning issuance of commercial crawfish harvest permits.
(c) It is unlawful for a person to fish more than 400 pots at one time in the commercial crawfish fishery.
(d) It is unlawful to fish for crawfish for commercial purposes in the following waters:
Clallam Anderson Lake
Crescent Lake
Clark Battleground Lake
Cowlitz Merrill Lake
Grant Deep Lake
Potholes Res.
Coulee Lake
Soap Lakes
Sun Lakes
Grays Harbor Sylvia Lake
Island Cranberry Lake
Jefferson Anderson Lake
King Cedar Lake
Elbow Lake
Green Lake
Green River
Margaret Lake
Sammamish Lake
Sammamish River
Sammamish Slough
Walsh Lake
Kittitas Easton Lake
Klickitat Horsethief Lake
Roland Lake
Lewis Mineral Lake
Okanogan Alta Lake
Buffalo Lake
Campbell Lake
Conconully Lake
Conconully Res.
Crawfish Lake
Omak Lake
Osoyoos Lake
Pearrygin Lake
Pacific Middle Nemah River
North Nemah River
Smith Creek
Pend Oreille Browns Lake (on Brown Cr)
Calispell Lake
Cooks Lake
Conklin Lake
Davis Lake
Half Moon Lake
Mystic Lake
No Name Lake
Shearer Lake
Vanee Lake
Pierce Clear Lake
Spanaway Lake
Steilacoom Lake
Wapato Lake
Skagit Beaver Lake
Caskey Lake
Cranberry Lake
Everett Lake
Minkler Lake
Pass Lake
Sixteen Lake
Whistle Lake
Skamania Goose Lake
Mosquito Lake
South Prairie Lake
Stump (Tunnel) Lake
Snohomish Ballinger Lake
Chaplain Lake
Flowing Lake
Goodwin Lake
Ki Lake
Martha Lake
Pass Lake
Roesiger Lake
Serene Lake
Shoecraft Lake
Silver Lake
Stevens Lake
Stickney Lake
Storm Lake
Thurston Deep Lake
Hicks Lake
Long Lake
Patterson Lake
Summit Lake
Ward Lake
Whatcom Budd Lake
Bug Lake
Caine Lake
Fishtrap Creek
Johnson Creek
Padden Lake
Toad or Emerald Lake
(e) It is unlawful to fish for crawfish within 1/4 mile of the shoreline of developed parks.
(f) It is permissible for an individual fisherman to fish for crawfish for commercial use in the waters set out below with up to the number of pots shown.
Name of Lake,
River, or Slough
| County
| Max. Pots
Allowed
|
| Alder Lake (Res.) | Pierce/Thurston | 200 |
| Aldwell Lake (Res.) | Clallam | 100 |
| Alkali Lake | Grant | 100 |
| Bachelor Slough | Clark | 100 |
| Baker Lake | Whatcom | 200 |
| Banks Lake | Grant | 200 |
| Big Lake | Skagit | 200 |
| Black Lake | Thurston | 200 |
| Blue Lake | Grant | 200 |
| Bonaparte Lake | Okanogan | 100 |
| Buckmire Slough | Clark | 100 |
| Camas Slough | Clark | 100 |
| Campbell Lake | Skagit | 100 |
| Cassidy Lake | Snohomish | 100 |
| Cavanaugh Lake | Skagit | 200 |
| Chehalis River | Lewis/Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Chelan Lake | Chelan | 200 |
| Clear Lake | Skagit | 100 |
| Coal Creek Slough | Cowlitz | 100 |
| Columbia River | Clark, Cowlitz, etc. | 200 |
| Copalis River | Grays Harbor, etc. | 100 |
| Cowlitz River | Clark, Cowlitz, etc. | 100 |
| Curlew Lake | Ferry | 200 |
| Cushman Lake #1 | Clark | 100 |
| Deep River | Wahkiakum | 100 |
| Deschutes River | Thurston | 100 |
| Diablo Lake | Whatcom | 200 |
| Drano Lake | Skamania | 100 |
| Elochoman River | Wahkiakum | 100 |
| Erie Lake | Skagit | 100 |
| Evergreen Reservoir | Grant | 100 |
| Fisher Island Slough | Cowlitz | 100 |
| Goose Lake (upper) | Grant | 100 |
| Grays River | Pacific | 100 |
| Harts Lake | Pierce | 100 |
| Hoquiam River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Humptulips River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| John's River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Kapowsin Lake | Pierce | 200 |
| Kalama River | Cowlitz, etc. | 100 |
| Klickitat | Klickitat | 100 |
| Lackamas Lake (Res.) | Clark | 100 |
| Lake River | Clark | 100 |
| Lawrence Lake | Thurston | 100 |
| Lenore Lake | Grant | 200 |
| Lewis River | Clark/Cowlitz | 100 |
| Loomis Lake | Pacific | 100 |
| Mayfield Lake | Lewis | 200 |
| McIntosh Lake | Thurston | 100 |
| McMurray Lake | Skagit | 100 |
| Merwin Lake | Clark/Cowlitz | 200 |
| Moses Lake | Grant | 200 |
| Naselle River | Pacific, etc. | 100 |
| Nisqually River | Pierce, etc. | 100 |
| Nooksack River | Whatcom | 100 |
| North River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Palmer Lake | Okanogan | 100 |
| Patterson Lake (Res.) | Okanogan | 100 |
| Portage Bay | King | 100 |
| Rattlesnake Lake | King | 100 |
| Ross Lake (Res.) | Whatcom | 200 |
| Salmon Lake | Okanogan | 100 |
| Satsop River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Shannon Lake (Res.) | Skagit | 200 |
| Sidley Lake | Okanogan | 100 |
| Silver Lake | Pierce | 100 |
| Silver Lake | Cowlitz | 200 |
| Skagit River | Skagit/Whatcom | 200 |
| Skamokawa River | Wahkiakum | 100 |
| Snake River | Franklin/Walla Walla | 200 |
| Snohomish River | Snohomish | 100 |
| St. Clair Lake | Thurston | 100 |
| Swift Lake (Res.) | Skamania | 200 |
| Terrell Lake | Whatcom | 100 |
| Toutle River | Cowlitz | 100 |
| Union Lake | King | 200 |
| Vancouver Lake | Clark | 200 |
| Warden Lake | Grant | 100 |
| Washington Lake | King | 200 |
| Washougal River | Clark/Skamania | 100 |
| Whitestone Lake | Okanogan | 100 |
| Willapa River | Pacific | 100 |
| Wiser Lake | Whatcom | 100 |
| Wind River | Cowlitz | 100 |
| Wishkah River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Woodland Slough | Clark | 100 |
| Wynoochee River | Grays Harbor | 100 |
| Yakima River | Kittitas | 100 |
| Yale Lake (Res.) | Clark/Cowlitz | 200 |
(g) Commercial crawfish harvest permits will be issued to limit the number of crawfish pots permissible per fisherman per body of water in suitable crawfish harvest sites not listed in subsections (4)(d) and (e) of this section as follows:
(i) Under 20 acres - No commercial harvest.
(ii) 20 acres to 100 acres - 50 pots.
(iii) 101 acres to 400 acres - 100 pots.
(iv) Over 400 acres - 200 pots.
(h) Permits may be issued only in waters where fishing will not conflict with high density residential or recreational areas. No permit will be issued where developed parks encompass more than 1/2 of the water shoreline.
(5) It is unlawful to discard any crawfish bait into the waters of the state.
(6) This section does not apply to the commercial culture of crawfish at a registered aquatic farm.
(7) It is unlawful to fish for or possess crawfish taken for commercial purposes in violation of this section. Violation of this section is punishable under RCW
77.15.500,
77.15.520,
77.15.522, or
77.15.540, depending on the circumstances of the violation.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.055, 77.12.045, and 77.12.047. 12-23-016 (Order 12-267), § 220-52-060, filed 11/9/12, effective 12/10/12. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 94-12-009 (Order 94-23), § 220-52-060, filed 5/19/94, effective 6/19/94; 91-10-024 (Order 91-22), § 220-52-060, filed 4/23/91, effective 5/24/91; 87-23-006 (Order 87-187), § 220-52-060, filed 11/6/87. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080 and 75.58.040. 86-19-043 (Order 86-102), § 220-52-060, filed 9/12/86. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 80-13-064 (Order 80-123), § 220-52-060, filed 9/17/80; 79-02-053 (Order 79-6), § 220-52-060, filed 1/30/79; Order 76-26, § 220-52-060, filed 1:45 p.m., 4/20/76; Order 945, § 220-52-060, filed 8/16/71; Order 807, § 220-52-060, filed 1/2/69, effective 2/1/69; subsections 1-7, Orders 414 and 256, filed 3/1/60.]