EMERGENCY RULES
FISH AND WILDLIFE
Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.
Purpose: Amend commercial fishing rules.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Repealing WAC 220-52-04000V [220-52-04000U] and 220-52-04600X; and amending WAC 220-52-040 and 220-52-046.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047, 77.04.020, and 77.70.430.
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: This emergency regulation adjusts pot restrictions that are used to achieve commercial harvest objectives and maintain state-tribal sharing agreements. Closes Puget Sound Crab Management Region 2 West because the state commercial crab harvest has reached its initial quota for this region. The extra gear retrieval days allow for inclement weather. There is insufficient time to adopt 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Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 2, Amended 0, Repealed 2.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: November 3, 2010.
Joe Stohr
for Phillip Anderson
Director
1) Effective 8:00 a.m. November 8, 2010, until further notice, it is unlawful for any person to fish for crabs for commercial purposes with more than 75 pots per license per buoy tag number in Puget Sound Crab Management Region 1 (which includes Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 20A, 20B, 21A, 21B, 22A and 22B), and Crab Management Region 2 East (which includes Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D, and 26A-E). The remaining 25 buoy tags per license per region must be onboard the designated vessel and available for inspection in Puget Sound Crab Management Region 1 and 2 East.
2) Additional area gear limits:
Effective immediately until further notice, no commercial gear is allowed in that portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 25A west of the 123°7.0' longitude line projected from the new Dungeness light due south to the shore of Dungeness Bay.
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(1) Effective 7:00 p.m. November 4, 2010, until further notice, it is unlawful to fish for or possess Dungeness Crab for commercial purposes in those waters of Crab Management Region 2 West (Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Areas 25B, 25D, and 26A West), except that crab fishers may continue to remove their gear from the grounds until 7:00 p.m. November 6, 2010. During the gear removal period, no crab may be retained, possessed or landed from this area.
(2) Effective immediately until further notice, it is permissible to fish for Dungeness crab for commercial purposes in the following areas:
(a) Port Gardner: That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 26A east of a line projected from the outermost tip of the ferry dock at Mukilteo, projected to the green #3 buoy at the mouth of the Snohomish River, and west of a line projected from that #3 buoy southward to the oil boom pier on the shoreline.
(b) Possession Point to Glendale: That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 26A east of a line that extends true north from the green #1 buoy at Possession Point to Possession Point, and west of a line from the green #1 buoy at Possession Point extending northward along the 200-foot depth contour to the Glendale dock.
(c) Langley: That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 24C shoreward of the 400-foot depth contour within an area described by two lines projected northeasterly from Sandy Point and the entrance to the marina at Langley.
(d) Those waters of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 20A between a line from the boat ramp at the western boundary of Birch Bay State Park to the western point of the entrance of the Birch Bay Marina, and a line from the same boat ramp to Birch Point.
(e) Those waters of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 22B in Fidalgo Bay south of a line projected from the red number 4 entrance buoy at Cape Sante Marina to the northern end of the eastern most oil dock.
(f) Those waters of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 22A in Deer Harbor north of a line projected from Steep Point to Pole Pass.
(3) Effective immediately until further notice, the following areas are closed to commercial crab fishing:
(a) That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 25A west of the 123°7.0' longitude line projected from the new Dungeness light due south to the shore of Dungeness Bay.
(b) That portion of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 23D west of a line from the eastern tip of Ediz Hook to the ITT Rayonier Dock.
(c) Those waters of Marine Fish-Shellfish Management and Catch Reporting Area 24A east of a line projected due north from the most westerly tip of Skagit Island and extending south to the most westerly tip of Hope Island, thence southeast to Seal Rocks, thence southeast to the green can buoy at the mouth of Swinomish Channel, thence easterly to the west side of Goat Island.
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The following sections of the Washington Administrative Code are repealed:
| WAC 220-52-0400U | Commercial crab fishery -- Lawful and unlawful gear, methods, and other unlawful acts. (10-256). |
| WAC 220-52-04600X | Puget Sound crab fishery -- Seasons and areas. (10-256) |
Reviser's note: The section above appears as filed by the agency pursuant to RCW 34.08.040; however, the reference to WAC 220-52-0400U is probably intended to be WAC 220-52-04000U.