1. (1) Licensing: A shellfish pot fishery license is required to operate the gear provided for in this section. An application for a shellfish pot fishery license is available at the offices of the department, by calling the WDFW license division at 360-902-2500, or on the department website at www.wdfw.wa.gov.
2. (2) Commercial crawfish season: The first Monday in May through October 31, except: In Washington waters of the Columbia River downstream from the mouth of the Walla Walla River, it is permissible to take crawfish from April 1 through October 31.

3. (3) Commercial crawfish size and sex restrictions:

   1. (a) Crawfish must be 3 1/4 inches or more in length from the tip of the rostrum (nose) to the tip of the tail.
   2. (b) All undersize crawfish and female crawfish with eggs or young attached to the abdomen must be immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which taken. Fishers must sort and return illegal crawfish to the waters from which taken immediately after the crawfish are removed from the shellfish pot and prior to lifting additional pots from the water.

4. (4) Commercial crawfish gear, fishing areas, and pot number restrictions:

   1. (a) It is unlawful to take crawfish for commercial purposes with gear other than shellfish pots.
   2. (b) The department determines the maximum number of pots permitted in any given body of water. Once the permitted maximum number of pots for any given body of water is reached, no further permits may be issued for that area. Permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis consistent with all other regulations concerning issuance of commercial crawfish harvest permits.
   3. (c) It is unlawful for a person to fish more than 400 pots at one time in the commercial crawfish fishery.
   4. (d) Buoys must 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.
   5. (e) When two or more pots are attached to a common ground line, the number of pots attached must be clearly labeled on the required buoy.
   6. (f) Crawfish gear also subject to provisions of WAC 220-353-020.

   7. (g) It is unlawful to fish for crawfish for commercial purposes in the following waters:

      Clallam

      Crescent Lake

      Clark

      Battleground Lake

      Cowlitz

      Merrill Lake

      Grant

      Deep Lake

      Potholes Res.

      Coulee Lake

      Soap Lakes

      Sun Lakes

      Grays Harbor

      Sylvia Lake

      Island

      Cranberry Lake

      Jefferson

      Anderson Lake

      King

      Cedar Lake

      Elbow Lake

      Green Lake

      Green River

      Margaret Lake

      Sammamish Lake

      Sammamish River

      Sammamish Slough

      Walsh Lake

      Kittitas

      Easton Lake

      Klickitat

      Horsethief Lake

      Roland Lake

      Lewis

      Mineral Lake

      Okanogan

      Alta Lake

      Buffalo Lake

      Campbell Lake

      Conconully Lake

      Conconully Res.

      Crawfish Lake

      Omak Lake

      Osoyoos Lake

      Pearrygin Lake

      Pacific

      Middle Nemah River

      North Nemah River

      Smith Creek

      Pend Oreille

      Browns Lake (on Brown Cr)

      Calispell Lake

      Cooks Lake

      Conklin Lake

      Davis Lake

      Half Moon Lake

      Mystic Lake

      No Name Lake

      Shearer Lake

      Vanee Lake

      Pierce

      Clear Lake

      Spanaway Lake

      Steilacoom Lake

      Wapato Lake

      Skagit

      Beaver Lake

      Caskey Lake

      Cranberry Lake

      Everett Lake

      Minkler Lake

      Pass Lake

      Sixteen Lake

      Whistle Lake

      Skamania

      Goose Lake

      Mosquito Lake

      South Prairie Lake

      Stump (Tunnel) Lake

      Snohomish

      Ballinger Lake

      Chaplain Lake

      Flowing Lake

      Goodwin Lake

      Ki Lake

      Martha Lake

      Pass Lake

      Roesiger Lake

      Serene Lake

      Shoecraft Lake

      Silver Lake

      Stevens Lake

      Stickney Lake

      Storm Lake

      Thurston

      Deep Lake

      Hicks Lake

      Long Lake

      Patterson Lake

      Summit Lake

      Ward Lake

      Whatcom

      Budd Lake

      Bug Lake

      Caine Lake

      Fishtrap Creek

      Johnson Creek

      Padden Lake

      Toad or Emerald Lake

   8. (h) It is unlawful to fish for crawfish within 1/4 mile of the shoreline of developed parks.

   9. (i) It is permissible for an individual fisherman to fish for crawfish for commercial use in the waters set out below with up to the number of pots shown.

      Name of Lake,River, or Slough	County	Max. PotsAllowed
      Alder Lake (Res.)	Pierce/Thurston	200
      Alkali Lake	Grant	100
      Bachelor Slough	Clark	100
      Baker Lake	Whatcom	200
      Banks Lake	Grant	200
      Big Lake	Skagit	200
      Black Lake	Thurston	200
      Blue Lake	Grant	200
      Bonaparte Lake	Okanogan	100
      Buckmire Slough	Clark	100
      Camas Slough	Clark	100
      Campbell Lake	Skagit	100
      Cassidy Lake	Snohomish	100
      Cavanaugh Lake	Skagit	200
      Chehalis River	Lewis/Grays Harbor	100
      Chelan Lake	Chelan	200
      Clear Lake	Skagit	100
      Coal Creek Slough	Cowlitz	100
      Columbia River	Clark, Cowlitz, etc.	200
      Copalis River	Grays Harbor, etc.	100
      Cowlitz River	Clark, Cowlitz, etc.	100
      Curlew Lake	Ferry	200
      Cushman Lake #1	Clark	100
      Deep River	Wahkiakum	100
      Deschutes River	Thurston	100
      Diablo Lake	Whatcom	200
      Drano Lake	Skamania	100
      Elochoman River	Wahkiakum	100
      Erie Lake	Skagit	100
      Evergreen Reservoir	Grant	100
      Fisher Island Slough	Cowlitz	100
      Goose Lake (upper)	Grant	100
      Grays River	Pacific	100
      Harts Lake	Pierce	100
      Hoquiam River	Grays Harbor	100
      Humptulips River	Grays Harbor	100
      John's River	Grays Harbor	100
      Kapowsin Lake	Pierce	200
      Kalama River	Cowlitz, etc.	100
      Klickitat	Klickitat	100
      Lackamas Lake (Res.)	Clark	100
      Lake River	Clark	100
      Lawrence Lake	Thurston	100
      Lenore Lake	Grant	200
      Lewis River	Clark/Cowlitz	100
      Loomis Lake	Pacific	100
      Mayfield Lake	Lewis	200
      McIntosh Lake	Thurston	100
      McMurray Lake	Skagit	100
      Merwin Lake	Clark/Cowlitz	200
      Moses Lake	Grant	200
      Naselle River	Pacific, etc.	100
      Nisqually River	Pierce, etc.	100
      Nooksack River	Whatcom	100
      North River	Grays Harbor	100
      Palmer Lake	Okanogan	100
      Patterson Lake (Res.)	Okanogan	100
      Portage Bay	King	100
      Rattlesnake Lake	King	100
      Ross Lake (Res.)	Whatcom	200
      Salmon Lake	Okanogan	100
      Satsop River	Grays Harbor	100
      Shannon Lake (Res.)	Skagit	200
      Sidley Lake	Okanogan	100
      Silver Lake	Pierce	100
      Silver Lake	Cowlitz	200
      Skagit River	Skagit/Whatcom	200
      Skamokawa River	Wahkiakum	100
      Snake River	Franklin/Walla Walla	200
      Snohomish River	Snohomish	100
      St. Clair Lake	Thurston	100
      Swift Lake (Res.)	Skamania	200
      Terrell Lake	Whatcom	100
      Toutle River	Cowlitz	100
      Union Lake	King	200
      Vancouver Lake	Clark	200
      Warden Lake	Grant	100
      Washington Lake	King	200
      Washougal River	Clark/Skamania	100
      Whitestone Lake	Okanogan	100
      Willapa River	Pacific	100
      Wiser Lake	Whatcom	100
      Wind River	Cowlitz	100
      Wishkah River	Grays Harbor	100
      Woodland Slough	Clark	100
      Wynoochee River	Grays Harbor	100
      Yakima River	Kittitas	100
      Yale Lake (Res.)	Clark/Cowlitz	200

   10. (j) Commercial crawfish harvest permits will be issued to limit the number of crawfish pots permissible per fisherman per body of water in suitable crawfish harvest sites not listed in subsections (4)(d) and (e) of this section as follows:

       1. (i) Under 20 acres - No commercial harvest.
       2. (ii) 20 acres to 100 acres - 50 pots.
       3. (iii) 101 acres to 400 acres - 100 pots.
       4. (iv) Over 400 acres - 200 pots.
   11. (k) Permits may be issued only in waters where fishing will not conflict with high density residential or recreational areas. No permit will be issued where developed parks encompass more than 1/2 of the water shoreline.
5. (5) It is unlawful to discard any crawfish bait into the waters of the state.
6. (6) This section does not apply to the commercial culture of crawfish at a registered aquatic farm.
7. (7) It is unlawful to fish for or possess crawfish taken for commercial purposes in violation of this section. Violation of this section is punishable under RCW 77.15.500, 77.15.520, 77.15.522, or 77.15.540, depending on the circumstances of the violation.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.020, 77.04-055 [77.04.055], 77.12.045, and 77.12.047. WSR 22-08-048, § 220-340-700, filed 3/31/22, effective 5/1/22. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.020, 77.04.055, and 77.12.047. WSR 17-05-112 (Order 17-04), recodified as § 220-340-700, filed 2/15/17, effective 3/18/17. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.04.012, 77.04.013, 77.04.055, 77.12.045, and 77.12.047. WSR 12-23-016 (Order 12-267), § 220-52-060, filed 11/9/12, effective 12/10/12. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. WSR 94-12-009 (Order 94-23), § 220-52-060, filed 5/19/94, effective 6/19/94; WSR 91-10-024 (Order 91-22), § 220-52-060, filed 4/23/91, effective 5/24/91; WSR 87-23-006 (Order 87-187), § 220-52-060, filed 11/6/87. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080 and 75.58.040. WSR 86-19-043 (Order 86-102), § 220-52-060, filed 9/12/86. Statutory Authority: RCW 75.08.080. WSR 80-13-064 (Order 80-123), § 220-52-060, filed 9/17/80; WSR 79-02-053 (Order 79-6), § 220-52-060, filed 1/30/79; Order 76-26, § 220-52-060, filed 1:45 p.m., 4/20/76; Order 945, § 220-52-060, filed 8/16/71; Order 807, § 220-52-060, filed 1/2/69, effective 2/1/69; subsections 1-7, Orders 414 and 256, filed 3/1/60.]