Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery and administrative update
Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery and administrative update
Please note: All comments received by WDFW are part of the public record and will be available for public viewing - so please do not include private information in the text of your comments. Comments are subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act, RCW 42.56.
Comment on the CR-102 Rule Proposal
View the CR-102 Rule Proposal and WAC Text
This rule project combines rule changes required by passage of Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5076 during the 2025 legislative session and additional administrative rule changes being undertaken by the department. The passage of SSB 5076 established a Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery license requiring the department to propose rules to support this new fishery. In addition, the department seeks to make administrative rule changes that improve processes and clarify existing rule language in WAC chapters 220-320 and 220-340
SSB 5076, passed by the Washington State Legislature during the 2025 legislative session, authorizes the conversion of Puget Sound commercial shrimp trawl licenses to the newly created Puget Sound commercial nonspot shrimp pot license. The bill also establishes provisions related to harvest allocation, mandatory conversion of trawl licenses to nonspot pot licenses upon transfer, modifications to alternate operator requirements, and the creation of an alternative gear development process through a director’s permit. The proposed rules are necessary to implement these statutory changes and to manage the new Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot fishery in coordination with the existing Puget Sound shrimp trawl fishery, which will operate under a shared quota. In addition, the department proposes administrative updates to streamline and clarify existing rules and ensure they reflect current management and enforcement practices.
Please review the proposed amendments for each WAC by following the links and then provide your comments below.
Please note: All comments received by WDFW are part of the public record and will be available for public viewing - so please do not include private information in the text of your comments. Comments are subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act, RCW 42.56