EMERGENCY RULES
FISH AND WILDLIFE
Date of Adoption: February 16 [15], 2001.
Purpose: Amend commercial fishing rules.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-33-01000Q; and amending WAC 220-33-010.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.
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: The select area fisheries in Blind Slough/Knappa Slough and Tongue Point/South Channel are part of an on-going BPA funded study to design fisheries in areas outside of the mainstem Columbia River. Several stocks of salmon have been released from net pens in these select areas to provide for fisheries. All salmon returning to these net pens are harvestable. Impacts to ESA-listed stocks in these fisheries through February "will not make any irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources that would foreclose the formulation or implementation of any reasonable and prudent alternative which would not violate subsection 7 (a)(2)" (Darm letter to Stan Speaks, January 16, 2001). The National Marine Fisheries Service estimates that the biological opinion will be done by February 28, 2001, and will address fisheries beginning March 1, 2001. This rule is consistent with actions of the Columbia River Compact hearings of January 25, 2001, and conforms Washington and Oregon state rules. There is insufficient time to promulgate permanent rules.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 1.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0. Effective Date of Rule: February 19, 2001, 7:00 p.m.
February 16 [15], 2001
J. P. Koenings
Director
by Larry Peck
1) Blind Slough/Knappa Slough Select Area
| Area: | Open waters of Blind Slough extend from markers at the
mouth of Gnat Creek located approximately 1/2 mile
upstream of the county road bridge, downstream to
markers at the mouth of Blind Slough. Concurrent
Washington/Oregon waters extend downstream of the
railroad bridge. |
| Knappa Slough is open to fishing in all waters bounded
by a line from the northerly most marker at the mouth
of Blind Slough westerly to a marker on Karlson Island
downstream to a north-south line defined by a marker on
the eastern end of Minaker Island to markers on Karlson
Island and the Oregon shore. |
| a) | Blind Slough only |
| Gear: 8-inch minimum mesh | |
| Dates: | |
| 7 PM February 19 to 7 AM February 20, 2001 | |
| 7 PM February 26 to 7 AM February 27, 2001 | |
| 7 PM March 5 to 7 AM March 6, 2001 |
| Blind Slough only | |
| Gear: 8-inch maximum mesh | |
| Dates: | |
| 7 PM April 2 to 7 AM April 3, 2001 | |
| 7 PM April 9 to 7 AM April 10, 2001 |
| b) | Blind Slough and Knappa Slough |
| Gear: 8-inch maximum mesh | |
| Dates: | |
| 7 PM April 16 to 7 AM April 17, 2001 | |
| 7 PM April 23 to 7 AM April 24, 2001 | |
| 7 PM April 30 to 7 AM May 1, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 2 to 7 AM May 3, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 7 to 7 AM May 8, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 9 to 7 AM May 10, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 14 to 7 AM May 15, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 16 to 7 AM May 17, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 21 to 7 AM May 22, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 23 to 7 AM May 24, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 28 to 7 AM May 29, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 30 to 7 AM May 31, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 4 to 7 AM June 5, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 6 to 7 AM June 7, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 11 to 7 AM June 12, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 13 to 7 AM June 14, 2001 |
| Gear: Nets restricted to 100 fathoms in length with no weight restriction on leadlline. |
3) Tongue Point/South Channel Select Area
| Area: | Tongue Point Basin is open to fishing in all waters
bounded by a line from the red light at Tongue Point to
the flashing green light at Tongue Point to the
flashing green light at the rock jetty on the
northwesterly tip of Mott Island, a line from a marker
at the south end of Mott Island easterly to a marker on
the northwest bank on Lois Island, and a line from a
marker on the southwest end of Lois Island due westerly
to a marker on the opposite bank. |
| South Channel is open to fishing in all waters bounded
by a line from a marker on John Day Point through the
green buoy "7" thence to a marker on the southwest end
of Lois Island upstream to an upper boundary line from
a marker on Settler Point northwesterly to flashing red
marker "10". |
| All open waters are under concurrent jurisdiction. |
| a) | Tongue Point only: |
| Gear: 8-inch minimum mesh | |
| Dates: | |
| 7 PM February 20 to 7 AM February 21, 2001 | |
| 7 PM February 27 to 7 AM February 28, 2001 | |
| 7 PM March 6 to 7 AM March 7, 2001 |
| b) | Tongue Point and South Channel |
| Gear: 8-inch maximum mesh | |
| Dates: | |
| 7 PM April 17 to 5 AM April 18, 2001 | |
| 7 PM April 24 to 5 AM April 25, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 1 to 5 AM May 2, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 3 to 5 AM May 4, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 8 to 5 AM May 9, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 10 to 5 AM May 11, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 15 to 5 AM May 16, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 17 to 5 AM May 18, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 22 to 5 AM May 23, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 24 to 5 AM May 25, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 29 to 5 AM May 30, 2001 | |
| 7 PM May 31 to 5 AM June 1, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 5 to 5 AM June 6, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 7 to 5 AM June 8, 2001 | |
| 7 PM June 12 to 5 AM June 13, 2001 |
| Gear: Legal gear restricted to a maximum length of 250 fathoms and weight on leadline not to exceed 2 pounds on any one fathom within Tongue Point Basin. |
| In South Channel, nets are restricted to 100 fathoms in
length with no weight restrictions on the leadline.
Fishers participating in the Tongue Point Basin fishery
may have stored on board their boats, gill nets with
leadline in excess of 2 pounds per fathom. |
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Reviser's note: The spelling 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.
REPEALER
The following section of the Washington Administrative Code
is repealed effective 7:01 a.m. June 14, 2001:
| WAC 220-33-01000Q | Columbia River gillnet seasons above Bonneville. |