Date of Adoption: April 6, 2001.

Purpose: Amend commercial fishing rules.

Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 220-48-015.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.

Adopted under notice filed as WSR 01-05-070 on February 15, 2001.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.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: Thirty-one days after filing.

April 18, 2001

Debbie Nelson for

Russ Cahill, Chairman

Fish and Wildlife Commission

OTS-4676.1

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Order 00-266, filed 12/29/00, effective 1/29/01)

WAC 220-48-015   Beam trawl and bottom trawl -- Seasons.   (1) It is lawful to fish for and possess bottomfish taken with bottom trawl and beam trawl gear in Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 20A, 20B, 21A, 22A, 22B, 23A, 23B, 23C, 25A, and 25B the entire year with the following exceptions:

(a) Those waters of Area 20A east of a line projected from Point Whitehorn to Sandy Point are closed the entire year.

(b) Those waters of Area 20A within an area bounded by lines from Lilly Point to Birch Point and from the southwest corner of Point Roberts to Point Whitehorn to where these two lines are intersected by a line south from Kwomais Point in British Columbia and a line from Lilly Point to the north Alden Bank buoy are closed April 15 through May 31.

(c) Those waters of Area 20A within an area bounded by lines from Lilly Point to Birch Point and Lilly Point to the north Alden Bank buoy to where those lines are intersected by a line projected approximately 230 degrees south from Birch Point to Alden Point on Patos Island are closed June 1 through June 30.

(d) Areas 20A, 20B, 21A, 22A and 22B are closed to all trawl fishing in waters less than 30 feet deep.

(e) Areas 20A, 20B, 21A, 22A and 22B are closed in waters deeper than 40 fathoms from ((such time as)) 12:01 a.m. September 15 through December 31 except if the Pacific cod quota for these waters has not been ((obtained)) taken by September 15, these waters may be opened by emergency rule for the taking of the Pacific cod quota.

(f) Area 23C is closed to otter trawl fishing the entire year in waters shallower than 50 fathoms and is closed to beam trawl fishing in waters less than 60 feet deep.

(g) Area 23C is closed to otter trawl Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, January 1 through August 31, and closed to all otter trawl September 1 through December 31.

(2) It is lawful to fish for and possess bottomfish taken with beam trawl gear in Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 23A, 23B, 25A and 25B the entire year with the following exceptions:

(a) All of Area 25A is closed February 1 through April 15 of each year.

(b) Those waters of Area 25A lying southerly and westerly of a line projected from Kiapot Point to Gibson Spit (Sequim Bay) are closed the entire year.

(c) Areas 23A, 25A and 25B are closed to beam trawl fishing in waters less than 60 feet deep.

(3) It is unlawful to fish for or possess bottomfish taken with otter trawl gear in Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 23A, 23B, 25A and 25B the entire year.

(4) It is unlawful to take, fish for or possess bottomfish taken with bottom trawl or beam trawl gear in Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 21B, 23D, 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D, 25C, 25D, 25E, 26A, 26B, 26C, 26D, 27A, 27B, 27C, 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D, and 29 the entire year.

(5) It is unlawful to take more than 500 pounds of rockfish with beam trawl and bottom trawl gear during any vessel trip in all Puget Sound Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.047. 01-02-060 (Order 00-266), 220-48-015, filed 12/29/00, effective 1/29/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. 98-05-043, 220-48-015, filed 2/11/98, effective 3/14/98; 97-07-053 (Order 97-52), 220-48-015, filed 3/17/97, effective 4/17/97; 94-19-001 (Order 94-96), 220-48-015, filed 9/7/94, effective 10/8/94; 94-12-009 (Order 94-23), 220-48-015, filed 5/19/94, effective 6/19/94; 91-13-051 (Order 91-39), 220-48-015, filed 6/14/91, effective 7/15/91; 89-14-010 (Order 89-48), 220-48-015, filed 6/22/89; 87-04-003 (Order 87-03), 220-48-015, filed 1/22/87; 85-08-023 (Order 85-24), 220-48-015, filed 4/1/85; 84-08-014 (Order 84-24), 220-48-015, filed 3/27/84; 83-24-024 (Order 83-200), 220-48-015, filed 11/30/83, effective 1/1/84; 83-04-025 (Order 83-04), 220-48-015, filed 1/27/83; 82-24-080 (Order 82-215), 220-48-015, filed 12/1/82, effective 1/1/83; 82-14-056 (Order 82-72), 220-48-015, filed 7/1/82.]

Washington State Code Reviser's Office