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ForageFish,MarineFish,andShellfishRuleSimplification
BriefingandPublicHearing
Phill Dionne:StatewideForageFish
HeatherHall:StatewideMarineFish
ChrisEardley:PugetSoundShellfish
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
PresentationOutline Process Timelineandpublicinvolvement Proposals ForageFish MarineFish Shellfish Questions Publictestimony
2Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
Process ThreeYearSchedule Year1(2017):Simplifysportfishingregulationsforfreshwaterspecies(steelhead,trout,warmwaterfish,sturgeon,shad,andcarp).RuleseffectiveJuly1,2018.
Year2(2018):Simplifysportfishingregulationsforsalmonfisheriesinmarineandfreshwater.RuleseffectiveJuly1,2019.
Year3(2019):Simplifysportfishingregulationsforforagefish,marinefish,andshellfishinWashingtoncoastalandPugetSoundwaters.RuleseffectiveJuly1,2020.
3Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
TimelineandPublicInvolvement
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Jan.‐Aug. Staffdevelopproposals June13 CR‐101(Preproposal)filed Sept.3 CR‐102(ProposalRulemaking)filed Sept.‐Oct.17 Proposalpostedtowebsiteforpublic
comment Sept.25 PublicMeeting,Olympia Sept.26 PublicMeeting,MillCreek Oct.1 PublicMeeting,PortTownsend Oct.18‐19 CommissionbriefingandPublicHearing Dec.13‐14 Commissiondecisionmeeting July1,2020 Rulestakeeffect
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ForageFishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals
ThreetechnicalchangessubmittedbyWDFWstaff; Changesdonotaffect,noraltercurrentfishingregulations;
PrimarypurposeistoformatandstreamlineWAClanguage,removeredundantlanguage,andreorganizechapterstoimprovestructure.
5Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ForageFishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals
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ConsolidateforagefishrulesunderWAC220‐315bymovingpossessionlimitsfromWAC220‐310toWAC220‐315.
IncludebothsaltwaterandfreshwaterforagefishlimitsinWAC220‐315.
SimplifylanguagethroughoutWACs: Removeredundantlanguageprohibitingeulachonsmeltharvest. ClarifyclosuresforsmeltdipnetfishinginPugetSoundandfreshwater. Clarifyforagefishgeardescriptions. Clarifyforagefishspeciesdescriptions.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
PublicCommentsreceivedthroughOctober4th
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 7Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
Publicmeetingcomments:None Numberofattendees:None
WrittenComments:None
Questions
8Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposals
9Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposals
ProposalalignsrecreationalbottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline,alsoknownasMarineArea4B),withregulationsinMarineArea4A(westoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline).
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#1.ChangestobottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4B(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline)
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposals
ChangestoWAC220‐314‐020,possessionlimitsforbottomfish,include:
Reduceaggregatedailybottomfishlimitfrom10to9 Increasedailyrockfishsublimitfrom6to7 Rockfishsublimitwouldaddyellowtailandwidowrockfishtocurrentallowanceforblackandblue/deaconrockfish
Allow12surfperchperday11
#1.ChangestobottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4B(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline),cont.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposals
ChangestoWAC220‐314‐030wouldallowanglerstoretainyellowtailandwidowrockfishseawardofalineapproximating20fathomsondaysopentorecreationalsalmonfishinginJulyandAugust.
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#1.ChangestobottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4B(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline),cont.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposals
ChangestoWAC220‐314‐040wouldopenlingcodfisheryfromthesecondSaturdayinMarchthroughthesecondSaturdayinOctoberinMarineArea4B,tomatchtheseasoninMarineArea4A.
RemovesminimumsizelimitforlingcodandcabezoninArea4B.
AlsoclarifiesthatMarineArea12isclosedtolingcodfishingyear‐round.
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#1.ChangestobottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4B(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline),cont.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposals
ThroughouttheseWACs,additionaltechnicalchangeshavebeenmadetorefertomanagementareasasMarineArearatherthanCatchRecordCardArea,andreplacebluerockfishwithblue/deaconrockfish.
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#1.ChangestobottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4B(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline),cont.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
MarineFinfishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals
ThreetechnicalchangessubmittedbyWDFWstaff; Changesdonotaffect,noraltercurrentregulations; PrimarypurposeistoformatandstreamlineWAClanguage,removeredundantlanguage,andreorganizechapterstoimprovestructure.
15Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
PublicCommentsreceivedthroughOctober4th
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 16Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
Publicmeetingcomments:None Numberofattendees:None
WrittenComments:1(Opposed)Acommenterwasconcernedabouttherulelanguageandpossibleunintendedconsequences.
Questions
17Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals
18Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals#1.Dailylimitsforgreenurchins,purpleurchins,redurchins,pinkscallops,spinyscallops,andseacucumbers.
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Currentmanagementofurchinsusestwodifferentdailylimits(18eachforredurchinsandpurpleurchinsand36forgreenurchins).Thisproposalreducesthedailylimitofgreenseaurchinsfrom36to18toalignwithotherspecies.
Reducesthedailylimitofseacucumbersfrom25to18,forsimplicityandconsistency.
Proposeddailylimitsareconsistentwithconservationobjectives.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals#1.Dailylimitsforgreenurchins,purpleurchins,redurchins,pinkscallops,spinyscallops,andseacucumbers,cont.
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Forpinkscallopsandspinyscallops,theWDFW isproposingaquantity‐based,inlieuofaweight‐based,dailylimit.Quantity‐basedlimitsareeasierforharvesterstocomplywithinthefield.Theproposedlimitsareconsistentwithconservationobjectives.
Atotalof40scallopsalignswithexistingdailylimitsforclams,forsimplicity.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals
Sizelimitsforpinkscallops, spinyscallops,greenurchins,purpleurchins,andredurchinsarecurrentlyundefinedforrecreationalfisheries.Proposedsizelimitswillpreservereproductiveopportunitypriortoharvest.
Proposedsizelimits: minimum2inches(pinkscallops,spinyscallops), minimum2¼inches(greenurchins,purpleurchins), and minimum3¼inches,maximum5inches(redurchins).
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#2.Definesizelimitsforpinkscallops,spinyscallops,andurchins
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals#3.Defineclosureareasforrecreationalseacucumberandurchinfisheries
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Thisproposalwouldmakeitunlawfultofishforseacucumbersandseaurchinsin8conservationclosureareasthroughoutPugetSound.
TheseclosureareasserveasreferenceareassupportingmonitoringofpopulationstatusandasameasuretoconservespawningstockdistributedthroughoutPugetSound;thisalsoalignswithco‐managementofurchinsandseacucumbersinPugetSound.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals
Removesrequirementtoretainanyeasternsoftshellclamsencountered,butretainedclamsstillcounttowarddailylimit.
Thecurrentrulerequiresthateasternsoftshellclamsberetainedwhenencounteredasbycatch.Thisspeciesisanon‐native,non‐invasivespeciesnotcommonlytargetedbyharvesters.Thereisnoconservationneedforthisrule.
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#4.Eliminaterequirementtoretaineasternsoftshellclams
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
Harvestofintertidalgeoduckiscommonlyconductedwiththeassistanceofatubeorcylindertotemporarilypreventclam‐diggingholesfromcavingin.
Thisruleseekstoclarifythatthisisalawfulgeartype,todefinethegearasnon‐mechanical,andtodefineamaximumpermissiblediameterfortubesorcylindersas24”.
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ShellfishProposals#5.Clarifylawfulgearforintertidalharvestofgeoduck
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals
Theterm“caliper”isreferencedinWAC220‐330,butisundefined.
Clarifiesregulationsbydefiningacalipermeasurementas: “…alinearmeasurementwhenbothpointsofamovablecaliperaretouchingtheshelloftheshellfish.Afixedcalipergaugeisthelineardistancebetweenpointsofthecalipergaugeorthediameterofacirculargauge.”
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#6.Defineacalipermeasurement
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposals
Currently,WAC220‐330‐020describeslawfulpotescapementcomponentfiberstoinclude“…100percentcottonorothernaturalfibertwine…”
Thisproposalclarifies“other”acceptablefibertypesashemp,jute,orsisal(inadditionto100%cotton)twine.
Thesefibertypesexhibitdegradationtimesimilarto100%cottontwine,sufficienttoallowforexpedientde‐activationofderelictpotgear(Redekoppetal.2006).
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#7.Definelawfulpotescapementcomponentfibers
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
ShellfishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals
FifteentechnicalchangessubmittedbyWDFWstaff; Changesdonotaffect,noraltercurrentfishingregulations;
PrimarypurposeistoformatandstreamlineWAClanguage,removeredundantlanguage,reorganizechapterstoimprovestructure.
27Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
PublicCommentsreceivedthroughOctober4th
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 28Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019
Publicmeetingcomments:None Numberofattendees:None
WrittenComments:1(Support):ConsiderationshouldbegiventoallowabonusretentionoftheeasternsoftshellclamsimilartoAtlanticsalmonorotherunwantedspecies
Questions
29Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, October 18-19, 2019