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ForageFish,MarineFish,andShellfishRuleSimplificationBriefingandDecision

Phill Dionne:StatewideForageFish

DayvLowry:PugetSoundMarineFish

ChrisEardley:PugetSoundShellfish

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

PresentationOutline Process Timelineandpublicinvolvement Proposals ForageFish MarineFish Shellfish Questions Publictestimony

2Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 2019

ForageFishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals

ThreetechnicalchangessubmittedbyWDFWstaff; Changesdonotaffect,noraltercurrentfishingregulations;

PrimarypurposeistoformatandstreamlineWAClanguage,removeredundantlanguage,andreorganizechapterstoimprovestructure.

5Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 2019

PublicCommentsreceivedthroughOctober17th

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Publicmeetingcomments:None Numberofattendees:Zero

WrittenComments:CommentersuggestedagearchangeatTitlow BeachMarinepreserve.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

Questions

8Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

MarineFinfishProposals

9Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 2019

MarineFinfishProposals

ChangestoWAC220‐314‐040wouldopenlingcodfisheryfromthesecondSaturdayinMarchthroughthesecondSaturdayinOctoberinMarineArea4B,tomatchtheseasoninArea4A.

RemovesminimumsizelimitforlingcodandcabezoninArea4BtomatchArea4A.

AlsoclarifiesthatArea12(HoodCanal)isclosedtolingcodfishingyear‐round.

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#1.ChangestobottomfishregulationsinMarineArea4B(eastoftheBonilla‐Tatooshline),cont.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 2019

MarineFinfishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals

ThreetechnicalchangessubmittedbyWDFWstaff; Changesdonotaffect,noraltercurrentregulations; PrimarypurposeistoformatandstreamlineWAClanguage,removeredundantlanguage,andreorganizechapterstoimprovestructure.

15Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

PublicCommentsreceivedthroughOctober17th

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Publicmeetingcomments:None Numberofattendees:Zero

WrittenComments:2

1(Opposed)Acommenterwasconcernedabouttherulelanguageandpossibleunintendedconsequences.

1(General)Commenterwouldliketoseethehalibutseasonchangedto3to4consecutivedays.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

Questions

17Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

ShellfishProposals

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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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 2019

ShellfishProposals#3.Defineclosureareasforrecreationalseacucumberandurchinfisheries

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Thisproposalwouldmakeitunlawfultofishforseacucumbersandseaurchinsin8conservationclosureareasthroughoutPugetSound.

TheseclosureareasserveasreferenceareassupportingmonitoringofpopulationstatusandasameasuretoconservespawningstockdistributedthroughoutPugetSound;thisalsoalignswithco‐managementofurchinsandseacucumbersinPugetSound.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 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, December 13-14, 2019

ShellfishProposalsTechnical/ClericalChangeProposals

FifteentechnicalchangessubmittedbyWDFWstaff; Changesdonotaffect,noraltercurrentfishingregulations;

PrimarypurposeistoformatandstreamlineWAClanguage,removeredundantlanguage,reorganizechapterstoimprovestructure.

27Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

PublicCommentsreceivedthroughOctober17th

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Publicmeetingcomments:None Numberofattendees:Zero

WrittenComments:2

1(Support):ConsiderationshouldbegiventoallowabonusretentionoftheeasternsoftshellclamsimilartoAtlanticsalmonorotherunwantedspecies

2 (Oppose):Commenterwouldliketoseeonedefinitionforpossessionlimitforshellfishandfinfishandclarificationonsoftshellcrabandrelicshellrules.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

Recommendations

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Staffrecommend CommissionadoptionofForagefish,marinefish,andshellfishsportfishingrulesimplificationproposals,aspresented(withmodifications).

ModificationsfromOctober2019shellfishproposals:1. Modifyoriginally‐proposedlanguageinWAC220‐330‐150

(Exemptionforshellfishharvestonprivatetidelands).

Furtherimprovesclarity,consistencywithRCW

2. OysterandclamseasonsWACs(22‐330‐110,‐140)havebeenwithdrawn duetotimingconflictwithannualseason‐setting.

ClericalproposalsfromOctober2019willbeincluded,unchangedaspartofseason‐settingprocess.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

Questions

30Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019

CommissionDecision

31Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting, December 13-14, 2019