License

1. (1) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver nonspot shrimp taken for commercial purposes with pot gear from Puget Sound waters without a valid Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot or Puget Sound shrimp pot license.

   A Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot license will only be issued to an individual who is a natural person, and this person shall be the primary operator. Holders of Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot licenses may designate a single alternate operator per license. Puget Sound nonspot shrimp pot license holders may not designate a Puget Sound shrimp pot license on the same vessel.

   Pot gear and area

2. (2) It is unlawful to fish for nonspot shrimp for commercial purposes in Puget Sound using shellfish pot gear except during seasons opened by emergency rule.
3. (3) In all areas fishers are limited to a maximum of 100 nonspot shrimp pots, as defined in subsection (5) of this section, unless otherwise designated in a director's permit for the purposes described in subsection (5)(g) of this section.

4. (4) Buoy requirements, in all areas:

   1. (a) Buoys must be solid green in color and consist of durable material that will remain floating on the surface with five pounds attached; bleach or antifreeze bottles or other containers may not be used as floats.
   2. (b) All buoys fished on a single vessel must be marked with the unique numeric buoy brand issued to them by the department and prefaced by fishery specific designation described in subsection (c) of this section.
   3. (c) Buoys brands for buoys designating gear used in the spot shrimp must be prefaced with an "N" (i.e., "N-0000").
   4. (d) When two or more shrimp pots are attached to a common ground line, the number attached must be clearly labeled on at least one buoy, trailer buoy, or buoy tag.
   5. (e) It is unlawful to use a buoy tag that is consistent with requirements for any other state or federally managed commercial fishery operating in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, or in the state waters of Washington, Oregon, or California, or used by any of the Puget Sound treaty tribes.
   6. (f) Fishers shall use only the amount of line reasonably necessary to compensate for tides, currents, and weather. The line attaching the pot to the buoy must be weighted sufficiently to prevent the line from floating on the surface.
   7. (g) It is unlawful to use gear that has one or more line marks or to use multicolor line consistent with requirements for any other state or federally managed commercial fishery operating in the U.S. West Coast Exclusive Economic Zone, or in the state waters of Washington, Oregon, or California.

5. (5) Nonspot shrimp may only be harvested using gear with the following specifications, in all areas:

   1. (a) The dimensions of shellfish pots must meet either of the following specifications:

      1. (i) The perimeter of the top or bottom of the pot shall not exceed a maximum of 153-inches and the height shall not exceed a maximum of 24-inches.
      2. (ii) The volume of a pot shall not exceed 44,708 cubic inches (25.87 cubic feet) when measured from the outside of the pot.
   2. (b) The entire top, bottom, and sides must be constructed of mesh material.
   3. (c) Use of liners is prohibited. A liner is defined as any additional mesh material, overlaid or underlaid on a shellfish pot, to reduce the initial mesh size of the pot.
   4. (d) Entrance tunnels may be constructed of any size mesh material.
   5. (e) All entrance tunnels directly into a pot from the outside must open into the pot from the side when the pot is in its intended operating position.

   6. (f) Use of multi-chamber pots are permitted under the following conditions:

      1. (i) The escape mechanism must be in the terminal chamber of the pot.
      2. (ii) The diameter of internal entry tunnels must be equal to or greater than the diameter of initial entry tunnel.

   7. (g) The mesh size must be greater than or equal to 1/2 inch. Mesh of 1/2 inch is defined as a mesh that a 3/8 inch square peg will pass through, excluding the entrance tunnels, except for flexible, knotted (web) mesh pots or knotless stretch mesh pots, where the mesh must be at a minimum 1 1/8 inch stretch measure.

      1. (i) For knotted mesh pots, "stretch measure" is defined as the linear measurement between the inside of one knot to the inside of the opposite vertical knot of the same cell of mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
      2. (ii) For knotless stretch mesh pots, "stretch measure" is defined as the linear measurement between the inside of the bottom node to the inside of the opposing top node of the same cell of mesh, when the mesh is stretched vertically.
   8. (h) Pot gear is required to have an escape mechanism as provided for in WAC 220-340-060.
   9. (i) Pot gear used to harvest nonspot shrimp must comply with this section unless otherwise designated in a director's permit issued for the purposes of modifying or designing gear to economically harvest Pandalus eous, P. jordani, or P. dispar, as provided for in RCW 77.70.425.

6. (6) Harvest restrictions, all areas:

   1. (a) It is unlawful to set or pull shellfish pot gear to commercially harvest nonspot shrimp from one hour after official sunset to one hour before official sunrise.
   2. (b) Each fisher or alternate operator is required to report their intended catch area of harvest, and an estimate of total pounds that are being targeted by 7:00 p.m. the evening prior to harvest by email or text message to shrimp.report@dfw.wa.gov, or by using the Puget Sound commercial shrimp reporting website.
   3. (c) All nonspot shrimp brought onboard a vessel must be retained.

   4. (d) Nonspot shrimp pot harvest restrictions:

      1. (i) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 175 feet in Shrimp Management Region 2E.
      2. (ii) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 175 feet in Shrimp Management Subregion 1A.
      3. (iii) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 175 feet in Catch Area 23A including the corresponding shrimp subareas (23A-E, 23A-W, 23A-S, 23A-C).
      4. (iv) Harvest of nonspot shrimp is not permitted deeper than 150 feet in Shrimp Management Region 2W.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.020, 77.04.055, 77.12.020, 77.12.047, 77.12.320, 77.32.050, 77.32.070, 77.32.090, and 77.65.220. WSR 26-11-003 (Order 26-68), s 220-340-525, filed 5/7/26, effective 6/7/26.]